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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. march — music
  3. suit — clothes
  4. march — the month
  5. suit — to fit
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. suit — in cards
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cue — a signal
  14. march — the month
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cue — for pool

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