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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. face — to point toward
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bass — low music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bass — the fish
  9. face — part of the head
  10. row — a line
  11. face — to confront
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. row — to paddle
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. dip — to sink

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