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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. saw — the tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. perch — the fish
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. plane — a tool
  9. net — in sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. net — for catching
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. net — after costs
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. plane — in geometry

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