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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — in sport
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. degree — temperature
  6. land — a country
  7. land — to come down
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wake — a trail
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. toast — bread
  13. net — after costs
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. net — for catching
  19. wound — an injury
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. degree — from a university
  22. land — ground
  23. plane — a tool
  24. toast — the most admired

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