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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. capital — money
  3. plane — a tool
  4. capital — a city
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. file — a document
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. file — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a line of people
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. firm — decided
  20. kick — in football
  21. degree — an amount
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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