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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rash — a series
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. key — for a lock
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. key — in music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ground — crushed

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