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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fine — all right
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. key — in music
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. deal — to handle
  16. degree — from a university
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pit — in a race
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. deal — an agreement

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