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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. season — of the year
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. swing — in golf
  11. tear — from crying
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. degree — temperature
  14. tear — from crying
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. season — in sport
  24. tear — to rip

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