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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.

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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: bear · cue · rock · swing · lie · mug · degree · chest

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. swing — music
  16. cue — a signal
  17. chest — a box
  18. mug — a cup
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rock — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. swing — to play on
  24. cue — for pool

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