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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. clip — to cut
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. swing — in golf
  9. degree — from a university
  10. perch — the fish
  11. plane — a tool
  12. swing — music
  13. clip — a video
  14. rest — what's left
  15. season — of the year
  16. degree — an amount
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. degree — temperature
  22. season — in sport
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fan — a supporter

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