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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. court — for sport
  5. cap — a lid
  6. court — of a king
  7. degree — an amount
  8. court — of law
  9. staff — a stick
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. staff — employees
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mine — for digging
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. degree — from a university
  24. plane — in geometry

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