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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 124 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — from a university
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rash — hasty
  6. object — a thing
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pop — music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — soda
  18. rash — a series
  19. kid — to tease
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — to protest
  24. cue — a hint

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