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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. net — for catching
  3. field — farmland
  4. plane — a tool
  5. toast — bread
  6. track — a song
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. track — to keep track
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. net — in sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. field — a subject
  17. mug — a face
  18. track — a path
  19. mug — a cup
  20. net — after costs
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. field — for sport
  24. degree — from a university

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