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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. roll — a list
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. degree — temperature
  7. roll — a cake
  8. key — for a lock
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. key — in music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. date — the fruit
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. degree — an amount
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. key — the most important part

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