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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. net — for catching
  3. court — of law
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. land — a country
  8. court — for sport
  9. wake — a trail
  10. object — an aim
  11. degree — temperature
  12. land — ground
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. key — for a lock
  15. court — of a king
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. land — to come down
  18. net — after costs
  19. object — to protest
  20. degree — an amount
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. degree — from a university
  23. net — in sport
  24. object — a thing

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