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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. key — for a lock
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. degree — from a university
  11. key — in music
  12. charge — in control
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pound — a weight
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rush — hurry
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. charge — electricity
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rush — a thrill

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