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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chest — a box
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. season — of the year
  6. branch — a division
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. net — after costs
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. net — for catching
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. plane — a tool
  17. scale — size or range
  18. season — in sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. net — in sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. scale — for weighing

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