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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: wound · degree · toast · fall · bat · content · staff · cue

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cue — a hint
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. fall — to drop
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wound — an injury
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cue — for pool
  11. staff — employees
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fall — the season
  17. toast — bread
  18. content — the amount
  19. fall — to drop
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. degree — from a university
  22. staff — employees
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — happy

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