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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 120 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ball — a great time
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ground — a position
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cap — of ice
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. plane — an aircraft

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