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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fall — the season
  3. degree — an amount
  4. court — for sport
  5. key — for a lock
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. key — in music
  8. march — the month
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. fall — to drop
  12. court — of law
  13. can — a tin
  14. degree — from a university
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. march — music
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. march — the month
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stem — to come from
  23. can — a tin
  24. court — of a king

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