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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — an amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spring — the season
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tube — the underground
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. tube — a container
  17. perch — the fish
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tube — in a tire

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