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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 124 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. fall — to drop
  3. land — to come down
  4. cue — a signal
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. board — a committee
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. capital — money
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mate — a friend
  12. degree — from a university
  13. board — to get on
  14. land — a country
  15. fall — the season
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mate — to breed
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. land — ground
  22. capital — a city
  23. mate — a partner
  24. jam — a tight spot

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