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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. plane — a tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. sharp — clever
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. fall — the season
  12. ball — a great time
  13. degree — from a university
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stand — to bear
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wake — a trail
  22. key — in music
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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