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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. net — after costs
  3. bear — the animal
  4. key — the most important part
  5. net — in sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. last — finally
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. key — in music
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spell — magic
  16. race — the arms race
  17. last — to go on
  18. net — for catching
  19. race — a contest
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. last — final
  23. race — humankind
  24. key — for a lock

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