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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bound — obliged
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. firm — steady
  9. cue — for pool
  10. club — for golf
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. club — a group
  14. cue — a hint
  15. key — in music
  16. cold — not warm
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. club — for dancing
  20. firm — a company
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bound — certain
  24. cue — a signal

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