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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 116 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: degree · file · key · wound · pop · pass · spell · bowl

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. spell — letters
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spell — magic
  7. pop — music
  8. key — in music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pop — to visit
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pop — soda
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. file — a document
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. file — a tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wound — an injury

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