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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: bound · degree · jam · kick · wind · cue · toast · chest

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. kick — in football
  4. toast — bread
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bound — obliged
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. cue — for pool
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bound — certain
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. cue — a hint
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. chest — a box
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wind — moving air

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