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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  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 — an amount
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cue — for pool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. land — ground
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fork — in a road
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. club — for golf
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cue — a signal
  18. club — a group
  19. squash — the sport
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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