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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rest — a break
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rest — what's left
  12. key — in music
  13. track — a song
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. track — a path
  18. rest — what's left
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rash — a series

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