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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 116 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. degree — from a university
  3. object — an aim
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — to crush
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. file — a line of people
  8. degree — temperature
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rash — hasty
  12. object — a thing
  13. squash — the sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. saw — the tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. degree — an amount
  21. object — to protest
  22. file — a tool
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. file — a document

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