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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.

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: kid · degree · mark · key · field · suit · land · staff

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. key — for a lock
  3. suit — to fit
  4. staff — employees
  5. field — a subject
  6. land — to come down
  7. mark — a trace
  8. staff — a stick
  9. key — in music
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. field — for sport
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. suit — in cards
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. key — the most important part
  21. suit — clothes
  22. field — farmland
  23. kid — child
  24. degree — from a university

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