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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · degree · shower · key · bat · stem · fan · ball

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cue — a hint
  3. key — the most important part
  4. shower — rain
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. key — in music
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. shower — to wash
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — the animal
  24. key — for a lock

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