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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 116 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: board · field · rash · staff · cue · degree · pitch · race

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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. field — for sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. field — a subject
  7. race — a contest
  8. staff — employees
  9. rash — a series
  10. race — humankind
  11. cue — a signal
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. race — the arms race
  17. field — farmland
  18. staff — a stick
  19. board — a committee
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rash — hasty
  22. staff — employees
  23. cue — a hint
  24. degree — an amount

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