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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lean — to bend
  9. drill — army training
  10. chest — of your body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. drill — the tool
  13. key — in music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. lean — thin
  22. degree — from a university
  23. kick — in football
  24. key — for a lock

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