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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. net — in sport
  3. key — in music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — of a king
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. court — of law
  12. net — after costs
  13. degree — an amount
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — for catching
  22. court — for sport
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. degree — temperature

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