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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stand — to bear
  3. key — the most important part
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. degree — temperature
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mate — to breed
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mate — a partner
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mate — a friend
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — in music
  15. roll — a list
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chest — a box
  24. stand — on your feet

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