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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. degree — from a university
  3. tube — the underground
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. tube — a container

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