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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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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 · board · row · toast · race · mark · degree · pound

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. degree — temperature
  4. toast — bread
  5. cue — a hint
  6. board — a committee
  7. cue — for pool
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. board — to get on
  13. race — a contest
  14. degree — from a university
  15. race — the arms race
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. degree — an amount
  18. row — to paddle
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pound — a weight
  23. row — a line
  24. cue — a signal

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