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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wind — moving air
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. shower — rain
  7. object — to protest
  8. cue — a signal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bank — for money
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. object — a thing
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. degree — an amount
  16. game — a match
  17. bank — for money
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bank — of a river
  20. degree — temperature
  21. wind — moving air
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. degree — from a university

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