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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. object — a thing
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — a group
  8. degree — from a university
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. branch — a division
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bound — certain
  15. hand — help
  16. degree — temperature
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rest — what's left
  20. object — an aim
  21. club — for golf
  22. bound — tied together
  23. foot — the bottom
  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