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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 120 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: key · pass · deal · can · bark · leaves · degree · last

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. key — the most important part
  3. can — a tin
  4. last — to go on
  5. can — a tin
  6. bark — to shout
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. deal — to handle
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. degree — an amount
  18. key — in music
  19. key — for a lock
  20. last — finally
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. last — final
  24. can — to be able to

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