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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: pop · deal · saw · mark · kid · season · degree · key

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pop — music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — to tease
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. season — in sport
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mark — a grade
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. deal — to handle
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. degree — an amount
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pop — soda
  22. mark — a trace
  23. key — the most important part
  24. key — in music

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