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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: net · spring · mark · cue · pitcher · squash · degree · fall

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. net — for catching
  2. spring — a coil
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. fall — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. net — after costs
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fall — to drop
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cue — a hint
  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