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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: object · shower · degree · fork · race · chip · leaves · last

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. object — a thing
  2. race — a contest
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. object — to protest
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. last — to go on
  9. shower — rain
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. last — final
  13. degree — from a university
  14. race — humankind
  15. fork — in a road
  16. shower — to wash
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. race — the arms race
  20. last — finally
  21. chip — to eat
  22. object — an aim
  23. leaves — to go away
  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