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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 124 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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. degree — from a university
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. track — a path
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. deal — to handle
  13. track — to keep track
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. season — in sport
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. season — of the year
  20. plane — a tool
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bowl — to roll

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