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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. sharp — clever
  6. cue — a signal
  7. chip — to eat
  8. swing — music
  9. chip — for betting
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. degree — from a university
  13. craft — a skill
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. degree — an amount
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. degree — temperature
  18. sharp — exactly

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