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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. toast — bread
  3. mark — a trace
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. mark — a grade
  7. track — a path
  8. tube — the underground
  9. court — of law
  10. snap — to click
  11. plane — a tool
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. degree — temperature
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. track — to keep track
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. degree — an amount
  21. track — a song
  22. tube — a container
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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