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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.

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: leaves · race · key · cabinet · spell · land · degree · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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. chest — of your body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. chest — a box
  7. spell — a short time
  8. land — to come down
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — ground
  11. spell — magic
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. land — a country
  14. race — a contest
  15. spell — letters
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. key — for a lock
  20. race — humankind
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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