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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — a thing
  3. march — the month
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. drill — the tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bat — the animal
  11. roll — a list
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — a practice
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. pit — in a race
  19. march — music
  20. pit — a hole
  21. degree — an amount
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. drill — army training
  24. object — to protest

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