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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 116 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: march · degree · track · cabinet · fan · key · face · fork

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. key — the most important part
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. key — in music
  8. march — the month
  9. fork — in a road
  10. march — the month
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. degree — temperature
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — to confront
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — music
  22. track — a song
  23. key — for a lock
  24. fan — to cool the air

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