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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bound — certain
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. degree — an amount
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — in football
  7. land — to come down
  8. pass — a permit
  9. degree — from a university
  10. land — ground
  11. bound — obliged
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cue — a hint
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bound — tied together
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. degree — temperature
  18. land — a country
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cue — for pool
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. game — a match

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