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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tear — to rip
  7. roll — a list
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tear — from crying
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. stock — goods
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pit — a hole
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. roll — a cake
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pit — in a race

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