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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. present — a gift
  7. degree — an amount
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — a company
  10. cue — a signal
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. firm — decided
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tear — from crying
  17. key — in music
  18. tear — to rip
  19. shower — rain
  20. present — the time now
  21. shower — to wash
  22. degree — temperature
  23. present — there
  24. tear — from crying

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