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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bank — for money
  3. key — in music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bank — for money
  6. kick — in football
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spell — letters
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lie — to recline
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spell — a short time
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bank — of a river
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spell — magic

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