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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: degree · key · ball · stick · track · hand · cap · mine

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cap — of ice
  5. degree — an amount
  6. track — to keep track
  7. key — in music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. key — the most important part
  14. cap — a hat
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. hand — help
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hand — in cards

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