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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. club — a group
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bat — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — for golf
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — for dancing
  18. degree — temperature

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