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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 120 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: ground · key · degree · pitcher · rush · track · present · dip

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — from a university
  3. key — the most important part
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ground — crushed
  6. track — a song
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rush — hurry
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. key — in music
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. key — for a lock
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. track — a path
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. dip — to sink
  20. present — the time now
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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