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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bear — the animal
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. key — in music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. race — humankind
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. net — in sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. net — after costs
  14. wake — a trail
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. degree — an amount
  19. race — the arms race
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. race — a contest
  24. key — the most important part

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