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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: band · staff · chest · cabinet · fine · degree · foot · key

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. staff — a stick
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. staff — employees
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. degree — an amount
  14. chest — a box
  15. fine — all right
  16. staff — employees
  17. key — the most important part
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. foot — a measure
  21. band — a music group
  22. degree — from a university
  23. band — a ring
  24. chest — of your body

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