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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rest — a break
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bore — to tire
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rash — hasty
  14. degree — an amount
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rash — a series
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cue — for pool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. degree — from a university
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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