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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. last — final
  3. craft — a skill
  4. plane — a tool
  5. craft — boats
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — after costs
  11. last — to go on
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lie — to recline
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — of the year
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pitch — completely
  24. last — finally

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