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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. object — an aim
  4. land — a country
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wound — an injury
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. degree — from a university
  9. face — part of the head
  10. degree — an amount
  11. land — to come down
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wound — an injury
  17. object — to protest
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. object — a thing
  24. land — ground

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