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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. degree — temperature
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — an amount
  8. net — after costs
  9. suit — in cards
  10. net — in sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. suit — clothes
  14. current — happening now
  15. degree — from a university
  16. net — for catching
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. suit — to fit
  21. key — in music
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. current — electric

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