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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
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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: key · track · spell · race · game · toast · season · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. track — a path
  3. toast — bread
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. spell — magic
  6. key — for a lock
  7. race — a contest
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. game — a match
  11. race — humankind
  12. spell — letters
  13. degree — temperature
  14. season — in sport
  15. key — in music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. game — wild animals
  18. spell — a short time
  19. key — the most important part
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. race — the arms race
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. season — of the year

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