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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. degree — an amount
  3. scale — size or range
  4. net — after costs
  5. bulb — for light
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. drill — army training
  11. degree — temperature
  12. scale — in music
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. net — for catching
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — in sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. drill — the 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