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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: kid · track · key · can · drill · degree · mark · staff

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. key — for a lock
  3. degree — from a university
  4. track — to keep track
  5. drill — the tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. drill — army training
  8. can — a tin
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. key — in music
  13. staff — employees
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kid — to tease
  16. staff — a stick
  17. can — to be able to
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — child
  20. drill — a practice
  21. can — a tin
  22. key — the most important part
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. degree — an amount

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