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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. chair — a leader
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. capital — money
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. capital — a city
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. degree — temperature
  18. capital — a big letter

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