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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 120 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. object — a thing
  2. cue — for pool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bound — certain
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lean — thin
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. object — to protest
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cue — a signal
  14. tear — to rip
  15. degree — from a university
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. object — an aim
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lean — to bend
  23. hand — part of the body
  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