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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: wind · clip · key · kick · fine · degree · stick · rock

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. clip — for paper
  3. rock — a stone
  4. fine — high quality
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. key — the most important part
  15. degree — an amount
  16. kick — in football
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. clip — a video
  20. fine — all right
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. key — in music

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