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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 120 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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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: row · lash · degree · march · last · key · deal · fine

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fine — high quality
  3. last — to go on
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. fine — all right
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. last — finally
  9. march — the month
  10. row — to paddle
  11. march — music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. march — the month
  20. degree — an amount
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. last — final
  24. row — a line

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