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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. staff — employees
  4. charge — electricity
  5. key — the most important part
  6. charge — in control
  7. degree — temperature
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. key — in music
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. stand — to bear
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. sharp — clever
  22. key — for a lock
  23. charge — a price
  24. sharp — with an edge

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