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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a document
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. degree — an amount
  9. file — a line of people
  10. game — a match
  11. file — a tool
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. kick — in football
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rush — hurry
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bay — a horse colour

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