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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · game · rush · plane · track · calf · board · hand

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. game — a match
  5. degree — from a university
  6. hand — in cards
  7. degree — temperature
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. board — to get on
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. track — to keep track
  15. degree — an amount
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hand — help
  19. rush — hurry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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