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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. field — a subject
  6. plane — a tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. field — farmland
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. field — for sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. perch — the fish
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. degree — temperature
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lean — thin
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. perch — for a bird

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