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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · stick · board · degree · cabinet · key

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — an amount
  6. board — a committee
  7. degree — temperature
  8. board — to get on
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. tear — to rip
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. key — in music
  18. degree — from a university

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