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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bank — for money
  6. band — a music group
  7. club — for golf
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. club — a group
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bank — of a river
  13. degree — temperature
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pass — a permit
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. band — a ring
  21. drill — army training
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bank — for money

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