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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. scale — size or range
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. scale — in music
  8. row — a line
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bound — obliged
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bound — certain
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bark — to shout
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. key — in music
  20. bound — tied together
  21. cue — a signal
  22. degree — an amount
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bark — of a tree

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