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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. net — in sport
  3. cue — for pool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wind — moving air
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. perch — the fish
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. swing — music
  15. cue — a hint
  16. net — for catching
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. net — after costs
  19. lie — to recline
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cabinet — ministers

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