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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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468
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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. perch — the fish
  3. net — after costs
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. key — the most important part
  6. season — in sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. net — for catching
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. net — in sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. staff — a stick
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. degree — temperature
  20. key — in music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pass — a permit

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