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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. clip — for paper
  3. degree — temperature
  4. plane — a tool
  5. perch — the fish
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. land — ground
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. staff — employees
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. land — to come down
  17. staff — employees
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. clip — to cut
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. staff — a stick
  22. land — a country
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. clip — a video

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