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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. tube — the underground
  4. degree — temperature
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. board — a committee
  8. wind — moving air
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. degree — an amount
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mate — a friend
  17. board — to get on
  18. tube — a container
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. land — ground
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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