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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cell — a phone
  4. plane — a tool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. degree — from a university
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cell — in biology
  22. kick — in football
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. saw — the tool

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