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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bank — of a river
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. degree — from a university
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bank — for money
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rest — a break
  18. trunk — of an elephant

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