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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. content — the amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cell — in biology
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. content — happy
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cell — a phone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. cue — for pool
  18. current — of water
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cue — a hint
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. current — electric
  23. saw — the tool
  24. current — happening now

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