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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: kick · rule · degree · straw · key · ground · mine · hide

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. key — in music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. degree — temperature
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kick — in football
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. degree — from a university
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hide — to keep secret

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