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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fine — high quality
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. face — to confront
  7. pop — music
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. club — for dancing
  10. degree — temperature
  11. face — to point toward
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. club — for golf
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. key — the most important part
  18. club — a group
  19. squash — to crush
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. key — for a lock
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fine — all right

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