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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 120 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 · club · bat · temple · file · clip · degree · stand

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bat — the animal
  3. file — a line of people
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stand — to bear
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. club — a group
  12. cue — a signal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. club — for dancing
  16. file — a tool
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. file — a document
  19. degree — temperature
  20. club — for golf
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — a video

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