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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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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: fork · squash · current · cue · rule · kid · degree · mug

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kid — child
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. degree — from a university
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. current — happening now
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rule — government
  13. current — electric
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mug — a face
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. current — of water

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