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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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. plane — a tool
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. degree — temperature
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. file — a document
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. scale — size or range
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kid — child
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. kid — to tease
  20. scale — in music
  21. rash — a series
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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