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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. degree — from a university
  10. scale — size or range
  11. key — in music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. key — the most important part
  14. scale — in music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. saw — past of 'see'

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