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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: hand · plane · pit · staff · shower · track · degree · bound

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. plane — a tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pit — in a race
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. shower — rain
  9. staff — a stick
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bound — obliged
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pit — a hole
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — a path
  16. degree — from a university
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bound — certain
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. track — a song
  23. hand — in cards
  24. track — to keep track

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