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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: fan · cue · wake · bound · pit · squash · jam · degree

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cue — a hint
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bound — certain
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. degree — temperature
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. degree — from a university

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