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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 124 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. firm — steady
  3. degree — temperature
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. scale — in music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bank — for money
  8. firm — a company
  9. scale — size or range
  10. kid — to tease
  11. degree — from a university
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bank — of a river
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. firm — decided
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. kid — child
  20. bank — for money
  21. fine — all right
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. plane — a tool

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