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

Word bank: lean · cue · bear · deal · degree · wind · pit · fan

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lean — thin
  5. cue — for pool
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. degree — from a university
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cue — a signal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. degree — an amount

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