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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 116 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: nail · safe · mate · degree · key · mug · band · stick

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mug — to rob
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. key — for a lock
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mate — a friend
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mate — to breed
  11. band — a ring
  12. mug — a face
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mug — a cup
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a music group
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. key — in music

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