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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 · kick · fan · field · rush · board · drill · degree

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. degree — temperature
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. rush — hurry
  6. field — for sport
  7. kick — in football
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. field — farmland
  11. board — to get on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. board — a committee
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cue — a hint
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. field — a subject

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