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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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Word bank
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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. spell — letters
  12. degree — an amount
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. spell — a short time
  18. file — a document
  19. rest — a break
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spell — magic
  23. file — a tool
  24. rush — hurry

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