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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: leaves · game · rush · nail · rash · club · roll · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. roll — a cake
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. club — for golf
  7. rush — hurry
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. roll — a list
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rash — a series
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. club — a group
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rash — hasty
  20. club — for dancing
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. leaves — to go away

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