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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: deal · key · row · staff · track · temple · object · hand

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a song
  5. object — an aim
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. hand — in cards
  8. row — a line
  9. object — a thing
  10. key — the most important part
  11. object — to protest
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. deal — to handle
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — help
  17. key — for a lock
  18. staff — a stick
  19. row — to paddle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. key — in music
  22. track — a path
  23. staff — employees
  24. deal — an agreement

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