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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 124 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 geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pop — soda
  5. net — after costs
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pop — music
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mate — a friend
  13. net — for catching
  14. mug — a face
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. degree — from a university
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mate — to breed
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pop — to visit
  23. net — in sport
  24. bark — to shout

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