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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. degree — from a university
  2. object — a thing
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — in cards
  5. object — an aim
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. hand — help
  11. charge — a price
  12. degree — an amount
  13. object — to protest
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. charge — electricity
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — to come from
  20. charge — in control
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fan — to cool the air
  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