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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. charge — electricity
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kid — child
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. degree — from a university
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. ball — a dance
  11. key — for a lock
  12. charge — in control
  13. kid — to tease
  14. face — to confront
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ball — a great time
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. face — to point toward
  21. degree — temperature
  22. charge — a price
  23. key — in music
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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