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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.

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: pitch · degree · mouse · bore · net · key · club · mine

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. key — for a lock
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. club — for golf
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — after costs
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — in music
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pitch — completely
  13. degree — temperature
  14. net — for catching
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. club — a group
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. net — in sport

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