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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · club · plane · ball · toast · last · hide · fan

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. club — for golf
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ball — a dance
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. last — to go on
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. plane — a tool
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. club — a group
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ball — a great time
  18. degree — an amount
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. club — for dancing
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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