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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. object — to protest
  4. cue — for pool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. content — happy
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. degree — an amount
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. tear — to rip
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. content — the amount
  15. cue — a signal
  16. hand — help
  17. tear — from crying
  18. object — an aim
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. tear — from crying
  22. plane — a tool
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. cue — a hint

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