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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. degree — temperature
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kick — in football
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wake — a trail
  12. degree — an amount
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. game — wild animals
  18. stand — to bear
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. game — a match
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cue — for pool

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