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

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. mate — a friend
  3. craft — boats
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. roll — a list
  9. degree — an amount
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. mate — to breed
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cue — for pool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mate — a partner
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. degree — from a university
  20. plane — a tool
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cue — a signal

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