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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. degree — from a university
  4. game — a match
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. last — finally
  9. game — wild animals
  10. march — the month
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. march — the month
  19. last — final
  20. degree — temperature
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. last — to go on
  23. toast — bread
  24. march — music

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