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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. present — the time now
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. key — in music
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. present — a gift
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. shower — rain
  13. present — there
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. key — the most important part
  16. degree — an amount
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. key — for a lock
  24. lie — an untruth

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