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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. key — in music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. plane — a tool
  5. fall — the season
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — the amount
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — happy
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. key — the most important part
  15. root — the cause
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — an amount
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. root — of a word
  23. degree — temperature
  24. plane — in geometry

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