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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bat — the animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rash — a series
  12. mug — a cup
  13. foot — a measure
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mug — a face
  17. cue — a signal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. degree — temperature

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