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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. spell — a short time
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. plane — a tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pit — in a race
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rush — hurry
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. spell — letters
  22. pit — a hole
  23. patient — a sick person
  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