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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. key — for a lock
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. key — the most important part
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kid — child
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fork — in a road
  13. degree — from a university
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. key — in music
  19. can — a tin
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fork — to eat with
  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