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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. degree — an amount
  3. spell — letters
  4. cue — a hint
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. spell — a short time
  8. object — to protest
  9. content — the amount
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bound — certain
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. bound — tied together
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. cue — a signal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. cue — for pool
  24. spell — magic

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