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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: rash · tear · spring · rush · staff · game · degree · pit

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spring — a coil
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — an amount
  5. staff — employees
  6. pit — in a race
  7. game — a match
  8. tear — to rip
  9. staff — a stick
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. degree — from a university
  12. staff — employees
  13. rash — hasty
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rash — a series
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rash — on the skin

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