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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 120 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: drill · safe · key · saw · degree · root · can · swing

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. degree — an amount
  3. drill — a practice
  4. root — of a word
  5. key — the most important part
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. degree — from a university
  8. root — of a plant
  9. swing — music
  10. drill — army training
  11. swing — to play on
  12. degree — temperature
  13. key — in music
  14. can — a tin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. key — for a lock
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. drill — the tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. can — to be able to
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. root — the cause

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