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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. key — the most important part
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. key — in music
  7. march — the month
  8. land — ground
  9. key — for a lock
  10. march — the month
  11. land — to come down
  12. craft — boats
  13. land — a country
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. degree — an amount
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. sharp — clever
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. degree — from a university
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. craft — a skill

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