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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. spell — magic
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spell — a short time
  7. kid — child
  8. key — the most important part
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. degree — temperature
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. object — a thing
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — from a university
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spell — letters
  18. key — in music
  19. kid — to tease
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. degree — an amount

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