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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rock — a stone
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rock — music
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. net — for catching
  10. game — a match
  11. degree — temperature
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cue — for pool
  18. net — after costs
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stand — on your feet

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