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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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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: degree · board · fine · cue · snap · sharp · race · mouse

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. board — a committee
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. board — to get on
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cue — a signal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. snap — to click
  14. cue — a hint
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. race — a contest
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. degree — temperature
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. race — humankind
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. race — the arms race

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