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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. mug — a cup
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. key — for a lock
  11. staff — a stick
  12. last — final
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. last — to go on
  16. degree — from a university
  17. key — in music
  18. bass — low music
  19. last — finally
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mug — a face
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. degree — an amount

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