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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pass — a permit
  3. degree — temperature
  4. land — a country
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. land — ground
  8. scale — in music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. object — to protest
  15. land — to come down
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. hand — help
  18. object — an aim
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ground — a position
  21. ball — a dance
  22. scale — size or range
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. object — a thing

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