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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spell — magic
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mug — to rob
  5. kick — in football
  6. mug — a cup
  7. staff — employees
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. key — in music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pass — a permit
  14. degree — temperature
  15. key — for a lock
  16. staff — a stick
  17. spell — a short time
  18. key — the most important part
  19. degree — from a university
  20. staff — employees
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. spell — letters
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. kick — with a leg

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