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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. net — for catching
  3. degree — temperature
  4. net — in sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. key — in music
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. field — for sport
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. sharp — clever
  11. key — for a lock
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. key — the most important part
  14. degree — from a university
  15. field — a subject
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. net — after costs
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. straw — dry grass

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