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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — an aim
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fine — all right
  8. rash — a series
  9. fine — high quality
  10. drill — army training
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. drill — a practice
  14. degree — an amount
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cap — a hat
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. object — to protest
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cap — a lid

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