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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. plane — a tool
  7. hand — help
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. degree — temperature
  10. present — the time now
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pass — a permit
  13. present — there
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wake — a trail
  24. plane — an aircraft

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