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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pop — to visit
  9. degree — an amount
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pop — soda
  12. degree — temperature
  13. pop — music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. scale — in music
  16. degree — from a university
  17. craft — a skill
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. craft — boats
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bat — the animal

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