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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · perch · spell · key · straw · squash · land · degree

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. key — in music
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. degree — an amount
  6. land — to come down
  7. cue — a signal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. degree — temperature
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. key — the most important part
  12. spell — magic
  13. squash — to crush
  14. perch — the fish
  15. key — for a lock
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. spell — a short time
  18. squash — the sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — letters
  21. degree — from a university
  22. land — ground
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. land — a country

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