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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. season — in sport
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. key — for a lock
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. degree — temperature
  9. key — the most important part
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. squash — to crush
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. date — the fruit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. degree — an amount
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. sharp — clever
  24. key — in music

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