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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: bat · row · cue · chair · game · degree · net · bulb

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. net — for catching
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. net — in sport
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. net — after costs
  9. game — a match
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cue — a signal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. game — wild animals
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bat — the animal
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. row — a line
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cue — for pool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. cue — a hint
  24. row — to paddle

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