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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ball — a dance
  4. degree — an amount
  5. scale — in music
  6. drill — army training
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mate — a partner
  10. land — a country
  11. scale — size or range
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. land — to come down
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ball — a great time
  16. degree — temperature
  17. can — to be able to
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. degree — from a university
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — ground
  23. can — a tin
  24. tear — from crying

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