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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: bark · arm · fine · pitcher · degree · temple · bass · key

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. key — in music
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. degree — from a university
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fine — high quality
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. degree — temperature
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fine — all right
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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