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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 124 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. ball — a great time
  3. key — the most important part
  4. object — a thing
  5. degree — an amount
  6. object — an aim
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. key — for a lock
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. object — to protest
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pop — soda
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pop — music

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