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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. foot — a measure
  7. plane — a tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rash — hasty
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. net — in sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. net — after costs
  16. rash — a series
  17. degree — temperature
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. net — for catching
  23. snap — to click
  24. degree — from a university

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