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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. cue — for pool
  10. field — farmland
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bank — for money
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. field — for sport
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rest — a break
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. field — a subject
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rest — what's left

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