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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. key — the most important part
  3. degree — temperature
  4. perch — the fish
  5. degree — from a university
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pit — a hole
  8. degree — an amount
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wake — a trail
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. scale — in music
  15. key — in music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pass — a permit
  21. scale — size or range
  22. key — for a lock
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wake — before a funeral

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