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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bat — the animal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. spring — a coil
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. degree — an amount
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — of water
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. spell — magic
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. craft — boats
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spell — a short time
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spring — the season
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spell — letters
  23. plane — a tool
  24. safe — out of danger

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