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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. press — to push
  4. mate — a partner
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. degree — an amount
  10. last — finally
  11. key — the most important part
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. key — for a lock
  15. snap — to click
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mate — a friend
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bark — to shout

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