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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: cap · rush · bowl · cue · squash · chest · degree · chair

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rush — hurry
  13. degree — temperature
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. chest — a box
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — from a university

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