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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. squash — the sport
  5. object — a thing
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. degree — from a university
  12. squash — to crush
  13. file — a tool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. file — a line of people
  17. content — the amount
  18. file — a document
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. degree — an amount
  22. object — to protest
  23. content — happy
  24. wind — to turn a key

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