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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.

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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: key · racket · plane · cold · deal · fine · pit · degree

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. key — in music
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pit — in a race
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pit — a hole
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. deal — to handle
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. key — for a lock
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. degree — temperature
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. plane — a tool
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fine — all right
  24. cold — an illness

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