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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. can — a tin
  3. cue — for pool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chest — a box
  10. cue — a signal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. degree — an amount
  13. hand — help
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. cue — a hint
  22. can — a tin
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rash — hasty

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