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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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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 · chip · lash · degree · foot · content · mine · kick

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. content — happy
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cue — a hint
  11. kick — in football
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. chip — for betting
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chip — to eat
  18. foot — a measure
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. degree — temperature
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. foot — part of the body

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