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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.

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: track · key · bat · mug · bay · degree · sharp · tear

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. key — in music
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. degree — from a university
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. tear — to rip
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mug — a face
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. track — a path

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