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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. mug — to rob
  5. hand — help
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mug — a cup
  8. degree — from a university
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. degree — an amount
  11. game — wild animals
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mug — a face
  17. cue — for pool
  18. game — a match

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