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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · bass · fan · rush · mark · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. object — to protest
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bass — low music
  7. object — an aim
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. degree — temperature
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bass — the fish
  16. degree — from a university
  17. object — a thing
  18. rush — a thrill

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