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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — an amount
  7. key — the most important part
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. key — for a lock
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — after costs
  14. key — in music
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — employees
  17. band — a ring
  18. degree — temperature
  19. staff — a stick
  20. band — a music group
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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