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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: sharp · ground · game · cue · board · wound · wave · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. board — to get on
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. degree — an amount
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. degree — temperature
  13. board — a committee
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ground — a position
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cue — a signal
  19. game — a match
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. game — wild animals
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cue — a hint

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