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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mug — a face
  4. key — for a lock
  5. degree — from a university
  6. scale — in music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. season — in sport
  9. mug — to rob
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. season — of the year
  13. mug — a cup
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — the most important part
  22. degree — temperature
  23. key — in music
  24. game — a kind of play

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