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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. degree — temperature
  3. drill — army training
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pop — music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stem — to come from
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pop — soda

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