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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. mug — a face
  2. degree — from a university
  3. staff — employees
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stand — to bear
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. degree — temperature
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kick — in football
  14. staff — a stick
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. staff — employees
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mug — to rob
  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