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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stem — to come from
  4. game — a match
  5. rock — music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mine — for digging
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. plane — a tool
  12. present — there
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. degree — an amount
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. present — a gift
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. present — the time now
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. game — a kind of play

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