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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: mate · race · game · degree · wax · track · field · board

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mate — to breed
  5. board — to get on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. track — a path
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. game — a match
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — a partner
  15. field — for sport
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. race — humankind
  18. field — a subject
  19. game — wild animals
  20. race — the arms race
  21. degree — from a university
  22. board — a committee
  23. race — a contest
  24. mate — a friend

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