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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.

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: fine · degree · game · spell · key · chest · bowl · suit

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chest — of your body
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fine — all right
  8. game — a match
  9. chest — of your body
  10. suit — clothes
  11. chest — a box
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. degree — an amount
  15. key — for a lock
  16. spell — magic
  17. key — in music
  18. spell — letters
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. spell — a short time
  21. suit — in cards
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. degree — temperature
  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