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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. degree — temperature
  3. cue — for pool
  4. rock — a stone
  5. degree — an amount
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kid — to tease
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rock — music
  22. rush — hurry
  23. kid — child
  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