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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.

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

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. 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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bound — tied together
  3. plane — a tool
  4. club — for golf
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. degree — an amount
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bound — obliged
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bound — certain
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. club — a group
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. club — for dancing
  18. 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