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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: charge · shower · degree · pitch · jam · cue · mate · cell

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cell — a phone
  12. charge — a price
  13. shower — to wash
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mate — a friend
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. shower — rain
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. degree — from a university
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cue — a hint
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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