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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. degree — temperature
  3. prune — to trim
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pop — to visit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. degree — from a university
  10. swing — music
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cell — a phone
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pop — music
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cell — in biology
  21. degree — an amount
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cell — in a prison

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