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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. game — a match
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. press — newspapers
  8. degree — from a university
  9. field — farmland
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. sharp — clever
  12. degree — temperature
  13. plane — a tool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. game — wild animals
  22. press — to push
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lash — to lash out

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