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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. swing — music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. swing — to play on
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cue — a signal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rash — a series
  19. craft — boats
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. cue — for pool
  24. degree — from a university

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