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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. shower — to wash
  5. degree — temperature
  6. kid — child
  7. rush — hurry
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. shower — rain
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. ball — a dance
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cue — a signal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. content — the amount
  19. ball — a great time
  20. content — happy
  21. kid — to tease
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cue — a hint
  24. rush — a thrill

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