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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cabinet · safe · key · degree · land · swing · drill · date

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. land — to come down
  5. swing — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. drill — the tool
  10. swing — in golf
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. land — ground
  13. swing — to play on
  14. drill — army training
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. drill — a practice
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — a country

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