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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 124 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bound — tied together
  4. saw — the tool
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bound — certain
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. deal — to handle
  10. season — in sport
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. degree — an amount
  14. key — for a lock
  15. club — for golf
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bound — obliged
  18. club — for dancing
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. club — a group
  21. key — in music
  22. season — of the year
  23. saw — the tool
  24. season — to add flavour

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