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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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 — temperature
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. cue — a hint
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. rush — hurry
  7. current — electric
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bass — the fish
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. degree — an amount
  19. current — happening now
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bass — low music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. current — of water
  24. cue — for pool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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