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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: degree · key · land · bay · leaves · cap · straw · rule

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rule — a law
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rule — government
  6. cap — a lid
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cap — of ice
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. land — to come down
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. key — for a lock
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. land — ground
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. land — a country
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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