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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: degree · game · cue · lean · chip · drill · mate · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cue — a hint
  3. drill — a practice
  4. game — a match
  5. cue — for pool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lean — to bend
  9. drill — army training
  10. lean — thin
  11. cue — a signal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chip — to eat
  24. mate — to breed

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