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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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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: wake · key · bound · mate · kid · nail · chip · degree

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. key — in music
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kid — to tease
  5. chip — for betting
  6. degree — temperature
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bound — certain
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mate — a partner
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. degree — an amount
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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