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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: land · degree · lie · key · game · bear · bass · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. key — for a lock
  3. game — a match
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — wild animals
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bass — low music
  13. degree — an amount
  14. sharp — clever
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bear — the animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. key — in music
  19. land — ground
  20. bear — the animal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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