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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 120 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: track · temple · cue · game · can · degree · calf · mark

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mark — a trace
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. game — a match
  6. cue — for pool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cue — a signal
  12. can — a tin
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. track — a song
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cue — a hint
  19. degree — an amount
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. degree — temperature
  24. track — to keep track

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