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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · race · mouse · degree · mug · cue · object · land

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cue — for pool
  3. object — an aim
  4. cue — a signal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. race — humankind
  7. land — a country
  8. race — a contest
  9. object — to protest
  10. mug — to rob
  11. race — the arms race
  12. degree — temperature
  13. land — to come down
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cue — a hint
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mug — a face
  19. land — ground
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mug — a cup
  23. tear — from crying
  24. object — a thing

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