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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: fan · kick · spring · mug · track · bore · game · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bore — to tire
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. spring — a coil
  7. track — a song
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — a match
  10. spring — of water
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. spring — the season
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. track — a path
  15. kick — in football
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mug — a face

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