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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wound — an injury
  4. object — to protest
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wound — an injury
  8. key — in music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. key — the most important part
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. degree — from a university
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. degree — temperature
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. key — for a lock
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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