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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. degree — from a university
  3. field — farmland
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. plane — a tool
  7. degree — an amount
  8. key — in music
  9. suit — clothes
  10. band — a music group
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — for sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. degree — temperature
  22. suit — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. field — a subject

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