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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. club — for golf
  3. face — part of the head
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. club — for dancing
  6. face — to confront
  7. rock — a stone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — an amount
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rock — music
  14. club — a group
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. content — the amount
  17. band — a music group
  18. content — happy
  19. face — to point toward
  20. degree — from a university
  21. band — a ring
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. prune — to trim
  24. band — a rubber band

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