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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. shower — to wash
  3. field — for sport
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. present — there
  7. rush — hurry
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cue — a hint
  10. field — farmland
  11. present — the time now
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. present — a gift
  15. field — a subject
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rash — a series
  18. shower — rain
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  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