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

Word bank: object · pass · mate · degree · tear · key · cue · wound

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mate — a partner
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — in music
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tear — to rip
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. key — for a lock
  24. object — an aim

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