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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. object — to protest
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bass — low music
  5. object — a thing
  6. charge — in control
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. scale — in music
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cue — for pool
  13. charge — electricity
  14. court — of law
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. object — an aim
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — army training
  20. charge — a price
  21. court — for sport
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cue — a hint

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