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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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mine — for digging
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pop — soda
  8. cue — a hint
  9. toast — bread
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tear — from crying
  12. staff — employees
  13. cue — a signal
  14. tear — to rip
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. pop — music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. staff — employees
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cue — for pool
  24. degree — an amount

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