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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. land — ground
  4. key — for a lock
  5. degree — temperature
  6. swing — music
  7. degree — an amount
  8. swing — to play on
  9. key — the most important part
  10. degree — from a university
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. tube — a container
  17. plane — a tool
  18. land — to come down
  19. swing — in golf
  20. land — a country
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. key — in music

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