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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cue — a signal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rash — a series
  14. cue — for pool
  15. file — a document
  16. degree — an amount
  17. file — a tool
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chair — a leader
  23. plane — a tool
  24. can — to be able to

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