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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. snap — to click
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. degree — temperature
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. tube — a container
  7. degree — from a university
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rash — hasty
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. object — to protest
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. object — a thing
  15. key — for a lock
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. object — an aim
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. press — to push
  21. rash — a series
  22. press — a publisher
  23. degree — an amount
  24. tube — the underground

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