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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. cue — for pool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a music group
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. spring — of water
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. spring — a coil
  12. band — a ring
  13. degree — an amount
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. roll — a list
  16. perch — the fish
  17. spring — the season
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cue — a signal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — a cake
  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