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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 my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — size or range
  5. degree — from a university
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bank — for money
  8. cap — of ice
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bank — for money
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. cap — a hat
  18. plane — a tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bank — of a river
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cap — a lid
  24. scale — in music

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