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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bank — of a river
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cue — for pool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. shower — to wash
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bank — for money
  19. row — to paddle
  20. season — of the year
  21. row — a line
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — rain
  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