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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lean — thin
  5. scale — in music
  6. shower — rain
  7. mark — a grade
  8. field — for sport
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. degree — from a university
  14. lean — to bend
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mark — a trace
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. bay — a horse colour

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