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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cue — a signal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — a hint
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pop — soda
  11. rest — what's left
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rest — a break
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pop — music

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