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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bank — of a river
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. face — to confront
  14. bank — for money
  15. chip — for betting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — part of the head
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bank — for money

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