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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: degree · pop · mine · chest · cue · present · straw · mug

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chest — a box
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chest — of your body
  9. present — the time now
  10. cue — a signal
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. present — there
  15. degree — an amount
  16. present — a gift
  17. pop — soda
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mug — a cup

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