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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: lean · lash · season · degree · ball · wound · key · roll

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. roll — a cake
  3. ball — a great time
  4. season — in sport
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. key — for a lock
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. key — in music
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. roll — a list
  15. season — of the year
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. key — the most important part
  23. lean — thin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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