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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. season — in sport
  6. key — the most important part
  7. rash — hasty
  8. season — of the year
  9. key — in music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. degree — from a university
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wind — moving air

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