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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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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 · bass · snap · trunk · racket · mouse · degree · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. toast — bread
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bass — low music
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. degree — an amount
  21. snap — to click
  22. key — in music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. trunk — of a tree

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