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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. shower — rain
  4. pit — a hole
  5. land — ground
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pass — a permit
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. land — to come down
  13. sharp — clever
  14. shower — to wash
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cue — for pool
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. land — a country
  19. cue — a signal
  20. tube — a container
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tube — the underground
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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