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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · rash · club · wound · calf · foot · cabinet · degree

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — for golf
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rash — a series
  12. degree — from a university
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. club — for dancing
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. club — a group
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — in music
  24. degree — temperature

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