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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
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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: staff · bore · degree · chair · squash · scale · bound · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. staff — employees
  3. bound — tied together
  4. degree — from a university
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bound — certain
  8. bore — to drill
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. staff — employees
  13. key — for a lock
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. degree — temperature
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. squash — the sport
  21. scale — in music
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — a stick
  24. chair — a leader

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