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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. object — to protest
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. object — a thing
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fork — in a road
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. object — an aim
  14. degree — an amount
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. key — for a lock
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. degree — from a university
  21. lean — thin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. key — in music
  24. bat — in an idiom

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