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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. degree — temperature
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chest — of your body
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. current — electric
  7. ground — a position
  8. key — in music
  9. ground — crushed
  10. key — the most important part
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. key — for a lock
  14. degree — from a university
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chest — of your body
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — an amount
  21. perch — the fish
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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