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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. 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. mark — a trace
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — an amount
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. kick — in football
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mate — to breed
  9. object — to protest
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. degree — from a university
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. object — an aim
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mark — a grade
  19. object — a thing
  20. band — a ring
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. band — a music group
  24. 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