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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. staff — employees
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cue — for pool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. staff — employees
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chair — a leader
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cue — a hint
  24. march — the month

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