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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: cue · rush · saw · suit · kid · rest · bank · degree

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — from a university
  4. kid — child
  5. cue — a hint
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rest — a break
  9. bank — for money
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rest — what's left
  12. suit — in cards
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — to fit
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bank — of a river
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — for pool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bank — for money
  24. rush — to hurry

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