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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. degree — an amount
  5. plane — a tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cap — of ice
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. clip — for paper
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. clip — a video
  13. cap — a hat
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kick — in football
  24. cabinet — ministers

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