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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. kid — child
  6. board — a committee
  7. key — for a lock
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mark — a trace
  10. key — the most important part
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. key — in music
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. board — to get on
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bay — a horse colour
  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