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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. key — in music
  3. lean — thin
  4. track — to keep track
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — temperature
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. track — a path
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. land — to come down
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. track — a song
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. key — the most important part
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. land — ground
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a great time
  21. land — a country
  22. wake — a trail
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ball — a dance

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