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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cold — an illness
  5. present — the time now
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stem — to come from
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. present — a gift
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. rule — government
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rule — a law
  18. present — there
  19. rock — music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cold — not warm

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