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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. cue — a signal
  2. cap — of ice
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cue — for pool
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — a tin
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chair — a leader
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — in biology
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cell — a phone
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. degree — temperature
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. can — a tin
  23. cap — a lid
  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