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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. tube — the underground
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. file — a document
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. file — a line of people
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. race — a contest
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — temperature

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