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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cue — for pool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cue — a signal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. track — a song
  7. clip — a video
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. land — ground
  11. cue — a hint
  12. land — a country
  13. squash — the sport
  14. track — to keep track
  15. land — to come down
  16. track — a path
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. clip — to cut
  19. saw — the tool
  20. squash — to crush
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. clip — for paper
  24. squash — the vegetable

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