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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. roll — a cake
  3. fine — all right
  4. present — the time now
  5. saw — the tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. degree — an amount
  9. track — a song
  10. present — a gift
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. saw — the tool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fine — high quality
  19. track — to keep track
  20. roll — a list
  21. present — there
  22. track — a path
  23. sharp — clever
  24. degree — temperature

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