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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 120 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. field — a subject
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. file — a line of people
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fine — all right
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — farmland
  17. file — a document
  18. can — to be able to
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. field — for sport
  21. degree — an amount
  22. plane — a tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. file — a tool

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