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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mark — a grade
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — a trace
  11. content — happy
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bank — for money
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bank — for money
  16. key — in music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. degree — from a university
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bank — of a river
  24. date — the fruit

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