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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 120 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — for sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a music group
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. degree — from a university
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. plane — a tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — of water
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. current — happening now
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. court — of law
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. degree — temperature
  20. court — of a king
  21. band — a ring
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. current — electric
  24. degree — an amount

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