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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hand · mark · chip · march · court · straw · degree

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. court — of a king
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. cue — a signal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mark — a trace
  7. degree — an amount
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. degree — from a university
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hand — help
  18. march — music
  19. mark — a grade
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of law
  22. cue — for pool
  23. court — for sport
  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