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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: mark · dip · object · cue · mug · date · field · degree

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. degree — temperature
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mug — a cup
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. mark — a trace
  13. field — farmland
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. field — for sport
  16. object — to protest
  17. mug — a face
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mug — to rob
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. field — a subject
  23. mark — a grade
  24. dip — to sink

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