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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cell — in biology
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. race — a contest
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — humankind
  18. degree — temperature
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — a signal
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cell — a phone
  24. degree — an amount

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