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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. key — for a lock
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. key — in music
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. object — to protest
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stand — to bear
  17. degree — temperature
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. object — a thing
  20. key — the most important part
  21. degree — from a university
  22. object — an aim
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. shower — rain

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