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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. tube — a container
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. snap — to click
  6. face — part of the head
  7. firm — decided
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. face — to point toward
  10. degree — from a university
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. plane — a tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. face — to confront
  16. tube — the underground
  17. firm — a company
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. shower — to wash
  20. band — a music group
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a ring
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. degree — temperature

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