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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. charge — electricity
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. charge — a price
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. row — a line
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cue — a signal
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. charge — in control
  13. degree — temperature
  14. band — a music group
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. band — a ring
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pass — a permit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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