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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: squash · march · bulb · degree · wave · chair · cue · club

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. club — for golf
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. club — for dancing
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. march — music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. club — a group
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. squash — the sport
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chair — a leader
  21. degree — an amount
  22. squash — to crush
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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