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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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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — in music
  6. pass — a permit
  7. clip — a video
  8. suit — in cards
  9. root — the cause
  10. degree — temperature
  11. root — of a word
  12. suit — to fit
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. clip — for paper
  18. suit — clothes
  19. clip — to cut
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. root — of a plant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. key — the most important part
  24. degree — an amount

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