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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. chest — a box
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cue — for pool
  24. arm — a part of something

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