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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. key — for a lock
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pass — a permit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. current — electric
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. chest — a box
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. key — in music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. current — happening now
  18. degree — temperature
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. degree — from a university
  21. current — of water
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. key — the most important part

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