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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. suit — in cards
  4. key — the most important part
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. key — in music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. degree — an amount
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chip — for betting
  19. degree — temperature
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — clothes
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pit — a hole

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