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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. staff — a stick
  3. key — in music
  4. rash — a series
  5. degree — an amount
  6. scale — in music
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. degree — from a university
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. degree — temperature
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. kid — child
  15. key — the most important part
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. staff — employees
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bank — for money
  24. key — for a lock

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