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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rest — what's left
  4. key — in music
  5. track — a song
  6. key — for a lock
  7. track — to keep track
  8. degree — an amount
  9. track — a path
  10. net — after costs
  11. rest — a break
  12. spell — magic
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — for catching
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. key — the most important part
  21. net — in sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com