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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: degree · key · pit · rock · drill · racket · file · band

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. rock — music
  5. pit — in a race
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. key — for a lock
  9. drill — a practice
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. key — in music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. file — a tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. drill — army training
  20. band — a music group
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. band — a ring
  23. key — the most important part
  24. racket — a loud noise

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