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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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. cell — in biology
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. season — of the year
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cell — a phone
  19. season — in sport
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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