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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 120 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: mug · suit · bark · key · degree · bound · scale · net

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. net — in sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bound — obliged
  7. key — for a lock
  8. suit — in cards
  9. degree — an amount
  10. scale — in music
  11. mug — to rob
  12. net — for catching
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. mug — a cup
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. key — the most important part
  21. scale — size or range
  22. net — after costs
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bark — to shout

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