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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.

Make a worksheet

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: key · staff · track · fine · pit · content · degree · leaves

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. track — a song
  6. staff — employees
  7. pit — in a race
  8. track — a path
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. key — in music
  11. content — the amount
  12. track — to keep track
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. key — for a lock
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — an amount
  17. key — the most important part
  18. degree — from a university
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pit — a hole
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. staff — a stick

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