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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: degree · band · trunk · pit · pitcher · temple · key · hand

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. band — a ring
  3. key — the most important part
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — in music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pit — in a race
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — in cards
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hand — help
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. band — a music group

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