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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. drill — army training
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. key — in music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. drill — a practice
  8. key — for a lock
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ball — a dance
  11. key — the most important part
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. degree — an amount
  14. vault — a safe
  15. drill — the tool
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. spell — a short time
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spell — letters
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — magic

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