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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — an amount
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cue — a hint
  6. degree — from a university
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mine — for digging
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ground — a position
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ground — the earth

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