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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. clip — to cut
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. clip — a video
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. degree — an amount
  12. clip — for paper
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. file — a document
  18. vault — a safe
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. plane — a tool
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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