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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 120 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: track · cue · game · spring · degree · mate · wound · rush

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. track — a path
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — of water
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spring — the season
  12. track — a song
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a partner
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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