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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — in music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fine — all right
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. key — the most important part
  14. rash — a series
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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