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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: degree · key · pop · track · cell · date · object · patient

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cell — a phone
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. object — an aim
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pop — to visit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. key — the most important part
  11. track — a song
  12. object — a thing
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. pop — music
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. object — to protest
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pop — soda
  24. cell — in biology

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