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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mark — a grade
  3. face — to confront
  4. object — a thing
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. plane — a tool
  8. march — music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. object — an aim
  11. net — in sport
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. face — to point toward
  14. race — the arms race
  15. march — the month
  16. face — part of the head
  17. degree — an amount
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. degree — temperature
  21. object — to protest
  22. march — the month
  23. net — after costs
  24. mark — a trace

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