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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 116 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: cue · leaves · wound · face · kick · last · degree · chair

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wound — an injury
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. face — part of the head
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. degree — an amount
  10. last — finally
  11. face — to confront
  12. last — to go on
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. chair — a leader
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cue — a signal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cue — a hint
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kick — in football
  24. last — final

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