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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. degree — an amount
  3. track — a song
  4. bank — of a river
  5. ground — a position
  6. degree — from a university
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bank — for money
  9. season — of the year
  10. ground — the earth
  11. key — for a lock
  12. season — in sport
  13. key — in music
  14. vault — a safe
  15. ball — a dance
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ball — a great time
  18. track — a path
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. key — the most important part
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bank — for money
  23. track — to keep track
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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