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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: drill · toast · cue · degree · deal · chest · perch · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. deal — to handle
  3. degree — from a university
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. degree — an amount
  6. drill — a practice
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. degree — temperature
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chest — of your body
  15. drill — army training
  16. cue — for pool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. rule — a law
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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