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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lean — to bend
  4. key — in music
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. craft — a skill
  8. lean — thin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. key — the most important part
  13. craft — boats
  14. march — the month
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — music
  19. fork — in a road
  20. march — the month
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — a series
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lean — to rest against

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