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

Word bank: safe · object · saw · snap · march · pass · club · degree

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. degree — from a university
  3. club — for dancing
  4. march — the month
  5. degree — an amount
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. march — music
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. object — an aim
  11. march — the month
  12. club — a group
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. club — for golf
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to click
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pass — a permit
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. object — a thing

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