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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: chair · mouse · cue · fine · lash · tube · rule · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cue — for pool
  6. fine — all right
  7. chair — a leader
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cue — a signal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. tube — a container
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rule — government
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chair — a professorship

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