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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. degree — temperature
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. ball — a great time
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. plane — a tool
  8. ball — a dance
  9. foot — a measure
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. hand — in cards
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chair — a leader
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. plane — an aircraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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