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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. key — the most important part
  3. scale — size or range
  4. last — finally
  5. bound — certain
  6. degree — temperature
  7. last — final
  8. key — in music
  9. land — to come down
  10. face — to point toward
  11. scale — in music
  12. last — to go on
  13. bound — tied together
  14. face — to confront
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. degree — an amount
  17. key — for a lock
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. land — ground
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — a country
  23. degree — from a university
  24. nail — for a hammer

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