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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 120 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 my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ground — the earth
  4. spell — letters
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spell — magic
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ground — a position
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitch — completely
  16. degree — an amount
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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