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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ball — a dance
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. degree — temperature
  8. game — a match
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bore — to tire
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bore — to drill
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. degree — from a university

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