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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — size or range
  5. squash — the sport
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. degree — from a university
  8. scale — in music
  9. last — finally
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cue — a hint
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. last — final
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — to go on
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. ball — a great time
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. capital — a city
  24. cue — a signal

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