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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: fine · rock · ground · bank · key · degree · wound · ball

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ground — crushed
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bank — for money
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bank — for money
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ground — a position
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ground — the earth
  20. degree — an amount
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rock — music

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