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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 · pit · ground · band · roll · degree · firm · lie

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. roll — a list
  3. key — the most important part
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pit — a hole
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. degree — from a university
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. degree — temperature
  10. key — in music
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. key — for a lock
  13. band — a music group
  14. pit — in a race
  15. band — a ring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. degree — an amount
  19. ground — a position
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ground — the earth

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