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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: rush · degree · track · snap · deal · cue · scale · pitch

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rush — hurry
  5. deal — to handle
  6. track — to keep track
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cue — a hint
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. degree — an amount
  13. scale — in music
  14. track — a path
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. scale — size or range
  22. track — a song
  23. pitch — completely
  24. snap — to click

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