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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. last — finally
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fine — high quality
  6. present — a gift
  7. fine — all right
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. board — to get on
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. board — a committee
  18. last — to go on
  19. present — the time now
  20. plane — a tool
  21. degree — temperature
  22. present — there
  23. last — final
  24. trunk — of a car

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