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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: key · degree · bark · straw · ruler · bowl

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — in music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. degree — from a university
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ruler — a monarch

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