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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. degree — temperature
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spell — letters
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. degree — an amount
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — from a university
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. scale — in music
  17. wake — a trail
  18. scale — size or range
  19. spell — magic
  20. rest — a break
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. scale — for weighing
  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