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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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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: cue · mark · coach · pitcher · bowl · degree · bear · game

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. degree — from a university
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. degree — temperature
  20. game — a match
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitcher — a jug

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