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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: land · bear · swing · last · degree · cue · rest · rush

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. last — final
  3. degree — an amount
  4. last — finally
  5. bear — the animal
  6. swing — in golf
  7. last — to go on
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. land — a country
  10. cue — a hint
  11. degree — temperature
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. land — to come down
  17. rest — a break
  18. swing — music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. land — ground
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — to hurry

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