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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. plane — a tool
  3. swing — music
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bank — for money
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. degree — from a university
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. degree — temperature
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. chip — for betting
  19. swing — in golf
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chip — to eat
  22. hand — help
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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