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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. mug — a face
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ground — a position
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mug — a cup
  10. chip — to eat
  11. degree — an amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. mug — to rob
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. bass — the fish
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bass — low music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chip — for betting

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