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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. season — in sport
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — of the year
  23. pound — a weight
  24. clip — for paper

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