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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: date · swing · chair · squash · degree · can · cue · ground

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. ground — the earth
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cue — a signal
  5. squash — to crush
  6. can — to be able to
  7. ground — crushed
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. degree — temperature
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — a position
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. degree — from a university
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. swing — to play on
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chair — a leader
  21. can — a tin
  22. swing — music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. date — the fruit

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