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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. firm — decided
  3. degree — temperature
  4. march — music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. march — the month
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. bound — tied together
  10. key — the most important part
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bound — certain
  13. firm — a company
  14. march — the month
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bound — obliged
  17. firm — steady
  18. key — in music

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