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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. degree — temperature
  3. clip — a video
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. object — a thing
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stem — to come from
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cue — for pool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. object — an aim
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pitcher — a jug

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