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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bound — certain
  3. cue — a signal
  4. suit — clothes
  5. last — finally
  6. degree — temperature
  7. band — a music group
  8. bound — tied together
  9. band — a ring
  10. suit — to fit
  11. last — to go on
  12. degree — from a university
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cue — a hint
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rash — a series
  18. suit — in cards
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cue — for pool

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