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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. degree — temperature
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. hand — help
  11. land — ground
  12. snap — to click
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pop — soda
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. land — to come down
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. land — a country
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. degree — from a university
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pop — music
  24. plane — a tool

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