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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. degree — an amount
  5. club — a group
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. degree — temperature
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a document
  12. bass — low music
  13. club — for dancing
  14. tube — the underground
  15. plane — a tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. club — for golf
  18. file — a tool
  19. degree — from a university
  20. tube — a container
  21. bass — the fish
  22. file — a line of people
  23. kick — in football
  24. plane — an aircraft

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