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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. spring — of water
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fine — high quality
  6. spring — the season
  7. pop — soda
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pop — music
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rule — government
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fine — all right
  18. pop — to visit
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. degree — from a university
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cue — a hint
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rule — a law

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