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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 116 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. key — for a lock
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bound — certain
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. last — finally
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bound — obliged
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — final
  23. bound — tied together
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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