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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. degree — temperature
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rash — a series
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rash — hasty
  12. degree — an amount
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rock — a stone
  16. fall — the season
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. object — an aim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. object — to protest

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