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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. plane — a tool
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. band — a music group
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. degree — from a university
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chip — to eat
  10. ground — crushed
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. content — the amount
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chip — for betting
  20. content — happy
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ground — a position

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