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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: kick · squash · degree · rash · cue · race · track · game

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. race — the arms race
  3. kick — in football
  4. track — to keep track
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. race — a contest
  10. rash — hasty
  11. squash — to crush
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cue — a hint
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. race — humankind
  17. rash — a series
  18. game — wild animals
  19. track — a path
  20. game — a match
  21. squash — the sport
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cue — a signal
  24. degree — an amount

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