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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pass — a permit
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. track — a song
  5. net — after costs
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — a path
  9. land — to come down
  10. degree — from a university
  11. plane — a tool
  12. last — to go on
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. last — final
  15. net — for catching
  16. degree — an amount
  17. last — finally
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. land — ground
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. land — a country

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