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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. fine — all right
  4. row — to paddle
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — for a lock
  7. rock — a stone
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. rock — music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fine — high quality
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — in music
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. row — a line

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