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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. degree — an amount
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. plane — a tool
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fork — in a road
  19. snap — to click
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. pitch — completely
  22. degree — temperature
  23. staff — employees
  24. land — a country

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