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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: deal · staff · mark · game · degree · track · branch · date

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Have you settled on 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. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. track — to keep track
  7. staff — employees
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. degree — temperature
  10. game — wild animals
  11. deal — to handle
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. track — a song
  16. degree — from a university
  17. branch — a division
  18. game — a match
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. track — a path
  22. mark — a grade
  23. degree — an amount
  24. date — on the calendar

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