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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: bass · degree · ground · present · firm · foot · object · key

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. object — to protest
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the fish
  7. firm — decided
  8. key — for a lock
  9. object — a thing
  10. firm — a company
  11. present — the time now
  12. key — in music
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ground — crushed
  15. firm — steady
  16. present — there
  17. ground — a position
  18. key — the most important part
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. present — a gift
  21. foot — a measure
  22. object — an aim
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ground — the earth

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