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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. key — the most important part
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. key — in music
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mine — for digging
  9. degree — temperature
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. face — to confront
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. degree — from a university
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rest — a break
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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