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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 120 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. board — to get on
  5. current — electric
  6. chest — a box
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. board — a committee
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cue — a signal
  11. tube — a container
  12. cue — a hint
  13. current — of water
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. current — happening now
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mine — for digging
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. mine — belonging to me

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