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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. row — a line
  3. wound — an injury
  4. key — the most important part
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. key — in music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rule — a law
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. row — to paddle
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mate — a friend
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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