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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: pit · degree · bowl · club · mug · wave · staff · cue

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. club — for dancing
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. staff — employees
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mug — a face
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for golf
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mug — a cup
  17. staff — employees
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pit — in a race
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. degree — from a university

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