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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. staff — employees
  3. present — the time now
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. degree — an amount
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rest — a break
  8. object — an aim
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. object — a thing
  13. rest — what's left
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. staff — employees
  18. present — there
  19. swing — music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. swing — to play on
  22. degree — temperature
  23. object — to protest
  24. present — a gift

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