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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. scale — size or range
  5. staff — employees
  6. degree — temperature
  7. band — a ring
  8. season — of the year
  9. cue — for pool
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. staff — a stick
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cue — a signal
  19. band — a music group
  20. row — to paddle
  21. scale — in music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. row — a line
  24. cue — a hint

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