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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. drill — army training
  4. firm — a company
  5. drill — a practice
  6. firm — steady
  7. sharp — clever
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. drill — the tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. band — a music group
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. firm — decided
  17. key — in music
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. key — for a lock
  20. chest — of your body
  21. band — a ring
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. key — the most important part
  24. degree — temperature

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