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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: cue · roll · hand · degree · pass · pop · game · saw

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. degree — temperature
  3. hand — in cards
  4. degree — from a university
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cue — a signal
  7. game — wild animals
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pop — to visit
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. game — a match
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. hand — help
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. roll — a list
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. roll — a cake
  21. degree — an amount
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pop — music

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