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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: swing · prune · temple · degree · cue · kick · toast · tube

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. swing — music
  3. degree — an amount
  4. prune — to trim
  5. toast — bread
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. prune — to trim
  11. degree — temperature
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tube — a container
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cue — a signal
  18. kick — in football
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. swing — to play on
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a hint

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