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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.

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: degree · rash · ruler · track · season · game · racket · spring

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. spring — of water
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. degree — temperature
  14. game — a match
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — the season
  17. track — a song
  18. degree — an amount
  19. spring — a coil
  20. season — in sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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