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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: key · degree · season · net · rash · tube · court · rush

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. season — in sport
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. tube — a container
  8. degree — an amount
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. net — for catching
  11. degree — temperature
  12. net — after costs
  13. rash — a series
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tube — the underground
  16. court — of law
  17. key — for a lock
  18. court — for sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. rush — hurry
  22. court — of a king
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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