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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. land — to come down
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. can — a tin
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fine — all right
  15. degree — temperature
  16. land — ground
  17. can — to be able to
  18. land — a country

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