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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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Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. march — music
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. court — for sport
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cue — for pool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. chip — to eat
  12. degree — temperature
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mine — for digging
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cue — a hint
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

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