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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mine — for digging
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. degree — an amount

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