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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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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: rock · drill · fan · hand · object · club · degree · mate

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. hand — in cards
  3. object — an aim
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — for golf
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rock — a stone
  14. club — for dancing
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — temperature
  18. hand — help
  19. object — to protest
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. club — a group
  23. drill — army training
  24. mate — a partner

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