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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 124 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. craft — a skill
  3. clip — for paper
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. clip — a video
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. degree — from a university
  12. object — to protest
  13. craft — boats
  14. degree — an amount
  15. toast — bread
  16. root — the cause
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. degree — temperature
  22. clip — to cut
  23. object — a thing
  24. net — after costs

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