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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 116 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  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. lean — thin
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. capital — money
  6. lean — to bend
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cue — for pool
  10. capital — a city
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cue — a hint
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cue — a signal
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. mug — a cup
  21. degree — temperature
  22. deal — to handle
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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