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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: degree · hide · key · wave · land · content · chest · cap

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. land — to come down
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. content — the amount
  14. cap — a hat
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. key — in music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chest — a box
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — happy
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. degree — from a university

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