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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 my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. plane — a tool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stand — to bear
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. face — to confront
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. degree — from a university

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