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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · cap · saw · current · cue · degree · bat · kid

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pop — to visit
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cap — a hat
  5. kid — child
  6. current — happening now
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cue — for pool
  9. current — of water
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cue — a hint
  13. kid — to tease
  14. current — electric
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pop — soda
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pop — music
  23. cap — of ice
  24. degree — from a university

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