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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: firm · cue · rash · degree · band · hand · club · march

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. club — a group
  3. firm — a company
  4. cue — a signal
  5. club — for golf
  6. firm — decided
  7. degree — an amount
  8. hand — in cards
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rash — hasty
  11. band — a music group
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. march — music
  14. firm — steady
  15. cue — a hint
  16. hand — help
  17. band — a ring
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. march — the month
  20. rash — a series
  21. degree — from a university
  22. march — the month
  23. club — for dancing
  24. degree — temperature

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