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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wound — an injury
  3. foot — a measure
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. degree — an amount
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fine — high quality
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wound — an injury
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. fine — all right
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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