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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · pitcher · mug · object · rush · land · game · degree

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. object — an aim
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mug — to rob
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. object — a thing
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mug — a face
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. land — to come down
  21. object — to protest
  22. mug — a cup
  23. land — a country
  24. degree — temperature

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