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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 120 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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cue — a hint
  7. prune — to trim
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cap — a lid
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cap — of ice
  16. vault — a safe
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. degree — an amount
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cue — for pool
  24. rock — music

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