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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 120 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. object — to protest
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. object — a thing
  6. bear — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rash — hasty
  12. scale — in music
  13. cap — a lid
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. object — an aim
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rash — a series

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