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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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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: snap · mate · kid · stem · squash · cue · fine · degree

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cue — a signal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fine — all right
  6. kid — child
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cue — a hint
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stem — to come from
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mate — to breed
  19. kid — to tease
  20. squash — the sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cue — for pool

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