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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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Word bank
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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. degree — from a university
  3. shower — rain
  4. season — of the year
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. degree — temperature
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rash — hasty
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. key — in music
  14. court — for sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. season — in sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. key — the most important part
  19. degree — an amount
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. season — to add flavour

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