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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. swing — music
  4. key — in music
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — to play on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. net — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. scale — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. root — the cause
  17. swing — in golf
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chair — a leader
  21. degree — from a university
  22. net — for catching
  23. scale — size or range
  24. key — for a lock

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