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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cue — a hint
  7. degree — temperature
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pit — a hole
  12. cue — a signal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cue — for pool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — a weight
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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