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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. charge — a price
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stand — to bear
  6. charge — electricity
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. lie — to recline
  14. charge — in control
  15. degree — from a university
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — a tool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. stand — for spectators

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