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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: cue · degree · rest · track · season · hand · land · vault

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rest — a break
  4. season — in sport
  5. hand — help
  6. track — to keep track
  7. degree — temperature
  8. season — of the year
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — a song
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. degree — an amount
  15. hand — in cards
  16. land — ground
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. land — to come down
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cue — a hint
  21. track — a path
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cue — a signal
  24. land — a country

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