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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. cap — of ice
  5. chair — a leader
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spell — a short time
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. net — in sport
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. degree — temperature
  17. spell — magic
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. content — the amount
  20. net — after costs
  21. cap — a hat
  22. net — for catching
  23. plane — a tool
  24. spell — letters

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