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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 · sharp · game · bat · spring · press · plane · mate

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. degree — an amount
  3. plane — a tool
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. sharp — clever
  6. press — newspapers
  7. spring — a coil
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — of water
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. game — wild animals
  16. spring — the season
  17. press — to push
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. degree — temperature
  23. game — a match
  24. press — a publisher

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