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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. court — of law
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cue — a signal
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. degree — an amount
  9. scale — in music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. march — music
  16. bore — to drill
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — size or range
  19. court — of a king
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — for sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cue — a hint
  24. scale — for weighing

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