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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. plane — a tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. ground — crushed
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. tear — from crying
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ground — a position
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tear — to rip
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. mark — a trace
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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