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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: cell · cue · degree · spring · ruler · race

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cue — a hint
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — of water
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cue — a signal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. race — humankind
  10. degree — an amount
  11. cue — for pool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. spring — the season
  15. race — a contest
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cell — a phone

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