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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · hide · racket · ruler · degree · fan · saw · game

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. key — in music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. degree — an amount
  12. game — a match
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. key — the most important part
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. saw — the tool

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