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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 124 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. plane — a tool
  3. board — to get on
  4. degree — from a university
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. degree — temperature
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. net — after costs
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. board — a committee
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. degree — an amount
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. net — in sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. net — for catching

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