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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.

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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: hand · sharp · track · kick · field · key · degree · rock

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. field — for sport
  3. key — in music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. degree — from a university
  9. hand — help
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. degree — temperature
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hand — in cards
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kick — in football
  17. degree — an amount
  18. track — a path
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rock — a stone
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. track — a song
  24. rock — music

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