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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. degree — temperature
  3. track — to keep track
  4. hand — help
  5. swing — to play on
  6. track — a path
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. swing — in golf
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cue — a hint
  13. swing — music
  14. cue — for pool
  15. track — a song
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. last — to go on
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ball — a dance
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. degree — from a university

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