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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. track — a song
  3. season — of the year
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. key — for a lock
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. key — in music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — from a university
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. drill — army training
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — to keep track
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. key — the most important part
  23. track — a path
  24. drill — a practice

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