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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: cap · degree · wind · key · present · last · club · mouse

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. key — for a lock
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — to go on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. present — the time now
  9. cap — a lid
  10. degree — from a university
  11. last — finally
  12. key — in music
  13. club — for dancing
  14. present — a gift
  15. key — the most important part
  16. club — for golf
  17. last — final
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. present — there
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mouse — for a computer

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