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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bass — the fish
  4. degree — an amount
  5. drill — army training
  6. present — a gift
  7. bass — low music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. degree — temperature
  11. ball — a great time
  12. degree — from a university
  13. present — the time now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. present — there
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rest — what's left
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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