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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lean — thin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. degree — an amount
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cue — for pool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mine — for digging
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. degree — temperature

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