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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. chip — for betting
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. plane — a tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. degree — an amount
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. chest — of your body
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. field — farmland

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