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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spring — of water
  3. game — wild animals
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stand — to bear
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spring — the season
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pass — a permit
  22. spring — a coil
  23. game — a match
  24. cue — for pool

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