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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. staff — employees
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — in sport
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. last — final
  11. degree — temperature
  12. key — in music
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. last — to go on
  15. can — a tin
  16. pass — a permit
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. key — for a lock
  20. staff — a stick
  21. last — finally
  22. degree — from a university
  23. can — to be able to
  24. staff — employees

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