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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: craft · degree · deal · cue · fan · toast · rest · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cue — a signal
  6. toast — bread
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cue — for pool
  9. degree — an amount
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. craft — boats
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rest — a break
  14. deal — to handle
  15. degree — temperature
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cold — an illness
  20. craft — a skill
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fan — to cool the air

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