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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. key — in music
  3. fine — high quality
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stock — shares
  8. degree — temperature
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — the most important part
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. stock — goods
  23. wound — an injury
  24. degree — from a university

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