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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. branch — a division
  3. object — an aim
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rest — a break
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kid — child
  11. file — a document
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. craft — boats
  16. file — a line of people
  17. degree — temperature
  18. object — a thing
  19. mark — a grade
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. file — a tool
  24. object — to protest

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