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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. hand — help
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. degree — from a university
  14. toast — bread
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. file — a document
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. file — a tool
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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