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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 116 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 play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. net — after costs
  5. lie — to recline
  6. net — for catching
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cue — a signal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. deal — to handle
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. net — in sport
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lean — thin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lean — to bend
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bass — the instrument

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