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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
468
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: firm · racket · mark · cue · march · hand · pass · degree

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. firm — steady
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pass — a permit
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. march — music
  10. firm — decided
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. hand — help
  15. march — the month
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — a company
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mark — a grade
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mark — a trace
  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