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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rest — a break
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — to eat
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rest — what's left
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cell — in biology
  15. race — humankind
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chip — for betting
  21. race — a contest
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. racket — for tennis

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