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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 120 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: shower · fine · cue · current · spell · degree · rest · wind

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. current — of water
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. shower — rain
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spell — letters
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wind — moving air
  15. shower — to wash
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. spell — magic
  19. cue — a signal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. fine — all right
  24. rest — a break

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