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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 124 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bore — to tire
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. foot — a measure
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bore — to drill
  23. degree — an amount
  24. shower — rain

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