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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 116 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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. net — after costs
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. face — to point toward
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — a trace
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. degree — an amount
  11. net — in sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. face — part of the head
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — for paper
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. net — for catching
  21. face — to confront
  22. degree — temperature
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bowl — a football final

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