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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: rock · degree · mark · cue · bat · saw · toast · march

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mark — a trace
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. saw — the tool
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cue — a signal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. march — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. march — the month
  16. toast — bread
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rock — music
  21. march — the month
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. degree — temperature
  24. mark — a grade

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