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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. season — of the year
  2. degree — temperature
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. court — of law
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. degree — an amount
  12. fork — in a road
  13. key — for a lock
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. prune — to trim
  16. degree — from a university
  17. snap — to click
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. prune — to trim
  23. key — the most important part
  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