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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. degree — temperature
  3. object — an aim
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — music
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. march — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — from a university
  16. march — the month
  17. object — to protest
  18. wake — a trail
  19. degree — an amount
  20. object — a thing
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pop — soda
  24. fan — a supporter

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