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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pit — a hole
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tear — to rip
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. degree — an amount
  10. key — in music
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. stock — shares
  17. degree — temperature
  18. tear — from crying
  19. object — an aim
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stock — goods

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