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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — temperature
  4. track — a path
  5. net — for catching
  6. wax — to grow
  7. shower — rain
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. net — after costs
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. degree — from a university
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — a thing
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bass — low music
  22. net — in sport
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. track — a song

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