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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: stand · degree · track · key · rule · tear · straw · sharp

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. track — a path
  4. key — for a lock
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rule — government
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. track — a song
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. track — to keep track
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. degree — temperature
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. key — in music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rule — a law

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