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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. band — a ring
  5. key — the most important part
  6. court — for sport
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. degree — from a university
  10. band — a music group
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. court — of a king
  17. degree — an amount
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. face — part of the head
  22. court — of law
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. degree — temperature

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