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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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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. net — after costs
  5. press — to push
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stock — goods
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bank — of a river
  15. net — for catching
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stock — shares
  19. degree — temperature
  20. net — in sport
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bank — for money
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bank — for money

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