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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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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: sharp · degree · cue · chair · mouse · bore · press · shower

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. shower — to wash
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. degree — from a university
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bore — to drill
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cue — a hint
  18. shower — rain
  19. press — to push
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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