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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. degree — from a university
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pop — music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. deal — to handle
  8. face — to point toward
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cell — a phone
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pop — soda
  15. fine — all right
  16. face — part of the head
  17. key — for a lock
  18. can — a tin
  19. face — to confront
  20. can — a tin
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. degree — temperature
  23. key — in music
  24. deal — a big deal

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