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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. key — for a lock
  3. ground — crushed
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rock — music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rock — a stone
  8. ground — a position
  9. key — in music
  10. swing — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. swing — to play on
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. key — the most important part
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. swing — in golf
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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