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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. degree — an amount
  3. object — an aim
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. degree — temperature
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. spell — a short time
  22. object — to protest
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. plane — a tool

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