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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. scale — in music
  4. degree — from a university
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. band — a ring
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — a tool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. band — a music group
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. key — the most important part
  20. degree — an amount
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. snap — to click
  24. scale — size or range

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