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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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Word bank
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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. degree — an amount
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. club — for golf
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. season — in sport
  13. club — a group
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. club — for dancing
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. season — of the year
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. object — to protest

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