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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — rain
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. charge — a price
  6. ground — crushed
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ground — the earth
  10. charge — in control
  11. ground — a position
  12. shower — to wash
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pit — a hole
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pit — in a race
  22. charge — electricity
  23. degree — from a university
  24. kid — child

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