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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.

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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: calf · patient · jam · last · rest · degree · ruler · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. last — final
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rest — a break
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rest — what's left
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. key — in music
  12. last — finally
  13. degree — temperature
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. last — to go on
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — an amount
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. jam — in traffic

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