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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. degree — from a university
  3. content — happy
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rock — music
  7. content — the amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fall — the season
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. key — for a lock
  13. degree — an amount
  14. key — in music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fall — to drop
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. scale — size or range
  19. key — the most important part
  20. scale — in music
  21. last — finally
  22. bore — to tire
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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