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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. degree — from a university
  5. staff — a stick
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. current — electric
  10. row — a line
  11. ball — a dance
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. row — to paddle
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. staff — employees
  23. plane — a tool
  24. fork — in a road

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