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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: file · rock · cue · squash · toast · rest · pit · degree

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cue — for pool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rest — what's left
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. file — a tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cue — a signal
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. file — a document
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rock — a stone
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. degree — from a university
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pit — a hole

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