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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wound — an injury
  4. plane — a tool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ground — crushed
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pop — music
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ground — a position
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ruler — for measuring

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