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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. degree — temperature
  4. snap — to click
  5. race — the arms race
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pound — a weight
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bore — to drill
  15. race — humankind
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. race — a contest
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. perch — the fish
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pound — for dogs

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