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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chest — a box
  7. root — of a word
  8. chest — of your body
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. degree — temperature
  18. chip — for betting
  19. root — the cause
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cue — for pool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chip — to eat
  24. perch — the fish

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