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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. face — to point toward
  3. degree — from a university
  4. race — humankind
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cue — a hint
  8. degree — temperature
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cue — for pool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. object — to protest
  13. can — to be able to
  14. object — an aim
  15. can — a tin
  16. rush — hurry
  17. ground — a position
  18. race — a contest
  19. ground — crushed
  20. face — to confront
  21. ground — the earth
  22. can — a tin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. object — a thing

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