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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.

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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: last · track · trunk · staff · key · degree · rest · mate

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. track — a path
  4. key — in music
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mate — to breed
  10. staff — employees
  11. last — final
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. last — to go on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mate — a friend
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mate — a partner
  20. degree — an amount
  21. last — finally
  22. staff — employees
  23. track — a song
  24. rest — a break

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