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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. content — the amount
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spring — a coil
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. spring — the season
  9. degree — an amount
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cue — a hint
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cue — a signal
  18. content — happy
  19. spring — of water
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cap — a hat

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