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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spring — of water
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. track — a path
  7. key — in music
  8. degree — an amount
  9. staff — a stick
  10. spring — the season
  11. key — for a lock
  12. ground — the earth
  13. spell — letters
  14. spring — a coil
  15. degree — temperature
  16. spell — magic
  17. ground — a position
  18. spell — a short time
  19. staff — employees
  20. track — a song
  21. degree — from a university
  22. staff — employees
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chip — in a computer

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