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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bound — certain
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cue — a signal
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. mate — to breed
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a ring
  18. cue — for pool
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mate — a partner
  24. degree — temperature

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