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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. key — in music
  4. pitch — completely
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fall — the season
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. key — the most important part
  23. spring — of water
  24. tear — to rip

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