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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ground — a position
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. suit — to fit
  7. land — to come down
  8. lean — to bend
  9. degree — an amount
  10. plane — a tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. ball — a great time
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. suit — in cards
  20. land — a country
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — ground
  24. ground — the earth

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