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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. shower — to wash
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. plane — a tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bulb — for light
  18. shower — rain

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