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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rash — hasty
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. degree — from a university
  7. spell — magic
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — government
  10. rash — a series
  11. spell — a short time
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — rain
  14. degree — temperature
  15. spell — letters
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. perch — the fish
  20. plane — a tool
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. shower — to wash
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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