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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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Word bank
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — to paddle
  5. capital — money
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. row — a line
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. degree — from a university
  12. march — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. degree — temperature
  17. march — the month
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — the most important part
  22. capital — a city
  23. march — the month
  24. mouse — the animal

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