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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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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: ruler · court · kick · drill · object · key · degree · stock

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. key — in music
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. court — of law
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. key — the most important part
  10. court — of a king
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. object — to protest
  14. kick — in football
  15. stock — shares
  16. degree — temperature
  17. object — a thing
  18. degree — an amount
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. key — for a lock
  21. court — for sport
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. object — an aim
  24. stock — goods

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