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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. object — a thing
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. object — to protest
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. object — an aim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. toast — bread
  12. key — the most important part
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bass — the fish
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. ball — a dance
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bass — low music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. key — in music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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