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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cue — a signal
  4. suit — to fit
  5. object — an aim
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. suit — clothes
  8. object — to protest
  9. suit — in cards
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cap — a lid
  13. object — a thing
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wake — a trail
  18. band — a music group
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cue — for pool
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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