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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: bat · court · key · saw · cabinet · club · object · degree

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. court — of law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. court — for sport
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. object — a thing
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. key — for a lock
  9. object — to protest
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. object — an aim
  16. club — for dancing
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bat — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. degree — an amount
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. club — a group
  23. degree — temperature
  24. court — of a king

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