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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. key — the most important part
  3. degree — an amount
  4. march — the month
  5. degree — from a university
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. game — a match
  11. season — in sport
  12. mark — a trace
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. season — of the year
  15. march — music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. game — wild animals
  20. deal — to handle
  21. march — the month
  22. mark — a grade
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. deal — a big deal

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