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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cap — of ice
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. drill — army training
  7. degree — temperature
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. drill — the tool
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cap — a hat
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cap — a lid
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. degree — from a university
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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