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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. can — a tin
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bass — low music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cue — for pool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. can — a tin
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. degree — from a university
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bound — tied together
  24. can — to be able to

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