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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. key — in music
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. degree — from a university
  6. key — for a lock
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. scale — in music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fine — all right
  12. drill — a practice
  13. track — to keep track
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. track — a path
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. scale — size or range
  18. drill — army training
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. drill — the tool

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