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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: kick · spell · degree · wound · object · hide · net · chair

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. degree — from a university
  3. object — an aim
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. spell — magic
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — a short time
  10. degree — an amount
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — to protest
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — temperature
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. net — for catching
  20. wound — an injury
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spell — letters
  24. net — after costs

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