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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mark — a trace
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. key — for a lock
  8. content — the amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. kid — child
  11. spell — magic
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rash — hasty
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spell — letters
  18. rash — a series
  19. content — happy
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. degree — an amount
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. spell — a short time
  24. patient — a sick person

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