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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. plane — a tool
  4. degree — an amount
  5. season — in sport
  6. ground — crushed
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. ground — a position
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wind — moving air

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