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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: cue · spell · nail · hand · fan · degree · firm · chip

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. hand — help
  5. cue — a signal
  6. firm — a company
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. firm — steady
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — in cards
  14. chip — for betting
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — for pool
  21. degree — from a university
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spell — letters

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