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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · degree · spring · row · rash · key · scale · pit

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rash — hasty
  4. season — in sport
  5. spring — of water
  6. degree — from a university
  7. scale — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pit — in a race
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rash — a series
  13. season — of the year
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pit — a hole
  16. key — for a lock
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. spring — the season
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spring — a coil
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. rash — on the skin

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