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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cue — a signal
  5. staff — employees
  6. wound — an injury
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. degree — an amount
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cue — a hint
  13. staff — a stick
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. shower — to wash
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mate — a partner
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. shower — rain

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