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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rush — hurry
  4. net — after costs
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cue — for pool
  9. present — a gift
  10. cue — a signal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. track — a song
  15. net — in sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. net — for catching
  20. present — there
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. present — the time 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