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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — from a university
  3. key — in music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. lie — to recline
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. swing — music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. suit — in cards
  16. kick — in football
  17. suit — to fit
  18. swing — to play on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mine — for digging
  22. drill — the tool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. suit — clothes

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