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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.

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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. key — the most important part
  3. track — a path
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fall — to drop
  9. court — of a king
  10. rush — hurry
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. court — for sport
  13. fall — the season
  14. degree — an amount
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. key — in music
  17. court — of law
  18. degree — temperature
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. key — for a lock

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