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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 124 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: key · deal · temple · degree · swing · dip · land · chip

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. key — in music
  14. chip — to eat
  15. degree — an amount
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chip — for betting
  21. degree — from a university
  22. dip — to sink
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. swing — to play on

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