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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. scale — size or range
  3. degree — from a university
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. spring — a coil
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. cue — for pool
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spring — of water
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. scale — in music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. spring — the season
  24. bowl — to roll

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