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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rest — a break
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rest — what's left
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — an amount
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cell — in biology
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — a division
  15. object — a thing
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cell — a phone
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — temperature
  23. object — to protest
  24. cell — in a prison

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