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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · row · degree · shower · key · cell · racket · ground

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. degree — temperature
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cell — in biology
  8. row — a line
  9. ground — the earth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. shower — rain
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ground — a position
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ground — crushed
  17. shower — to wash
  18. degree — an amount
  19. key — in music
  20. cell — a phone
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cold — an illness
  23. key — for a lock
  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