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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. degree — an amount
  6. scale — in music
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bank — for money
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ball — a dance
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bank — of a river
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bank — for money
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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