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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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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: bear · degree · race · bat · cue · suit · march · nail

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. race — humankind
  3. cue — for pool
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cue — a signal
  6. suit — clothes
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. degree — from a university
  14. suit — in cards
  15. race — a contest
  16. march — the month
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cue — a hint
  24. march — music

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