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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. scale — size or range
  3. row — to paddle
  4. degree — an amount
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. present — the time now
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. key — in music
  14. present — there
  15. spring — of water
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. present — a gift
  19. cap — a lid
  20. degree — from a university
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. scale — in music

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