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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. swing — to play on
  4. key — the most important part
  5. swing — music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pop — to visit
  8. key — for a lock
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pop — soda
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cap — a lid
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pop — music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. charge — a price
  24. key — 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