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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 124 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. chip — for betting
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. degree — from a university
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tear — from crying
  10. charge — in control
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bound — obliged
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cue — a signal
  16. charge — electricity
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. charge — a price
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bound — certain

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