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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pop — to visit
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bank — for money
  12. pop — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bank — for money
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cap — a hat
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pop — soda
  23. key — in music
  24. foot — a measure

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