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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. ground — a position
  3. file — a line of people
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ground — crushed
  7. plane — a tool
  8. ground — the earth
  9. file — a tool
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. current — happening now
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fork — in a road
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. degree — an amount
  20. file — a document
  21. tube — a container
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. cabinet — ministers

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