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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: racket · cue · can · degree · club · chest · wax · craft

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. degree — temperature
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cue — a signal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chest — of your body
  10. can — a tin
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chest — a box
  13. can — a tin
  14. club — for golf
  15. degree — an amount
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. club — a group
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cue — for pool

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