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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 ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. board — to get on
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mine — for digging
  7. clip — to cut
  8. season — in sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cap — a hat
  12. degree — temperature
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. board — a committee
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. plane — a tool
  22. season — of the year
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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