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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: cue · toast · safe · bat · court · staff · degree · bore

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. court — for sport
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cue — a signal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. court — of a king
  8. bore — to drill
  9. toast — bread
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bat — the animal
  12. court — of law
  13. staff — employees
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bore — to tire
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. staff — employees
  24. bat — in an idiom

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