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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. key — the most important part
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a great time
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. season — in sport
  13. key — for a lock
  14. season — of the year
  15. rash — a series
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. key — in music
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stand — to bear
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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