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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cue — for pool
  6. tear — to rip
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. degree — temperature
  9. tear — from crying
  10. degree — from a university
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. degree — an amount
  15. scale — in music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spell — letters
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. scale — size or range
  23. spell — magic
  24. wake — before a funeral

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