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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wind — moving air
  3. object — an aim
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. object — to protest
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. degree — an amount
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — to point toward
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. object — a thing
  14. degree — temperature
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. face — to confront
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bulb — for light
  19. race — a contest
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wind — moving air
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. race — humankind

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