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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: squash · straw · degree · content · fan · cue · swing · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. swing — to play on
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — happy
  8. cue — for pool
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cap — a lid
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — music
  13. cue — a hint
  14. squash — the sport
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. degree — an amount
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cue — a signal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. content — the amount
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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