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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. drill — army training
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pass — a permit
  8. degree — an amount
  9. club — for dancing
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. drill — the tool
  17. ball — a dance
  18. drill — a practice

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