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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: hide · cue · fine · stand · degree · perch · content · drill

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fine — high quality
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fine — all right
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cue — a hint
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. degree — an amount
  20. drill — a practice
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. cue — a signal
  24. perch — for a bird

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