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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: track · bat · pop · staff · vault · degree · root · cue

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. staff — a stick
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pop — music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cue — a hint
  10. pop — to visit
  11. staff — employees
  12. root — of a word
  13. degree — from a university
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pop — soda
  17. track — a path
  18. root — of a plant
  19. cue — for pool
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cue — a signal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. root — the cause
  24. staff — employees

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