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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cue — for pool
  4. degree — temperature
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. swing — to play on
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. swing — music
  14. track — a path
  15. cue — a signal
  16. degree — from a university
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. track — a song
  20. bound — tied together
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cue — a hint
  23. kid — child
  24. pound — a weight

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