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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 124 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. march — music
  6. suit — clothes
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. suit — in cards
  12. march — the month
  13. rush — hurry
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. suit — to fit
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. march — the month
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. degree — temperature

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