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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. suit — in cards
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. object — a thing
  5. net — for catching
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. degree — an amount
  8. net — in sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. object — to protest
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. net — after costs
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. kid — child
  20. bat — the animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bulb — for light

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