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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. degree — an amount
  3. key — the most important part
  4. pit — a hole
  5. key — for a lock
  6. drill — army training
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lean — thin
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rock — music
  21. lean — to bend
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. key — in music

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