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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: fall · squash · degree · cue · hand · ball · bound · pop

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hand — in cards
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bound — certain
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pop — soda
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pop — music
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pop — to visit
  15. cue — a hint
  16. degree — temperature
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — help
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fall — the season
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cue — a signal

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