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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. spring — of water
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. deal — to handle
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cue — for pool
  12. season — of the year
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spring — a coil
  15. row — to paddle
  16. spring — the season
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. season — in sport
  20. mug — to rob
  21. degree — temperature
  22. row — a line
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pit — a hole

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