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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pit — a hole
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pit — in a race
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fork — in a road
  17. degree — from a university
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. tear — from crying
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mate — to breed
  24. plane — an aircraft

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