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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. drill — a practice
  3. court — for sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. drill — army training
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pop — to visit
  8. court — of a king
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cue — a hint
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pop — soda
  16. degree — temperature
  17. court — of law
  18. cue — for pool
  19. degree — an amount
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pop — music
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. cue — a signal

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