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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. object — to protest
  4. degree — an amount
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spell — letters
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mine — for digging
  14. row — to paddle
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spell — magic
  17. object — an aim
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. row — a line
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. degree — temperature

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