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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mark — a grade
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. capital — a city
  11. plane — a tool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chip — for betting
  15. capital — money
  16. squash — to crush
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. craft — boats
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mark — to pay attention

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