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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bound — tied together
  3. key — in music
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. degree — from a university
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. track — to keep track
  10. degree — an amount
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. track — a path
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bound — certain
  17. spring — a coil
  18. key — for a lock
  19. track — a song
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pop — music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. pop — soda

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