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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
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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: can · mug · fine · wound · key · toast · chair · degree

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fine — high quality
  4. key — for a lock
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mug — a cup
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. degree — an amount
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mug — a face
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. fine — all right
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. toast — bread
  19. wound — an injury
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. key — in music
  23. can — a tin
  24. degree — temperature

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