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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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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 · dip · rule · swing · degree · deal · object · cold

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. dip — to sink
  4. key — in music
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. degree — from a university
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. rule — government
  9. key — the most important part
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. swing — music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cold — an illness
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rule — a law
  18. object — an aim
  19. key — for a lock
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. swing — in golf
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — a thing

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