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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cue — a hint
  3. degree — from a university
  4. object — to protest
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cue — a signal
  8. scale — size or range
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. scale — in music
  13. object — an aim
  14. cue — for pool
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. current — happening now
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. current — electric
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. current — of water
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. object — a thing

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