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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
468
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: band · degree · game · toast · bore · net · cue · file

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. game — wild animals
  4. net — after costs
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bore — to tire
  8. game — a match
  9. bore — to drill
  10. degree — an amount
  11. band — a ring
  12. toast — bread
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. band — a music group
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cue — for pool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. net — for catching
  21. file — a tool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. net — in sport
  24. toast — the most admired

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