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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. last — to go on
  3. degree — from a university
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spring — of water
  7. object — to protest
  8. degree — temperature
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. last — finally
  12. mate — to breed
  13. spring — a coil
  14. object — a thing
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. present — the time now
  17. object — an aim
  18. key — for a lock
  19. spring — the season
  20. mate — a friend
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. last — final
  24. mate — a partner

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