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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. degree — an amount
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cue — for pool
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. race — humankind
  8. toast — bread
  9. suit — to fit
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cue — a signal
  12. race — a contest
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bass — the fish
  19. suit — clothes
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. degree — temperature
  22. suit — in cards
  23. race — the arms race
  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