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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 · ball · roll · scale · bulb · lash · net

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ball — a dance
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. key — in music
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. roll — a cake
  10. scale — size or range
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bulb — for light
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. key — for a lock
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bulb — of a plant

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