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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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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: plane · rock · game · lie · degree · drill · key · pitcher

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. game — wild animals
  3. drill — a practice
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. degree — temperature
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. rock — music
  8. drill — the tool
  9. key — for a lock
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. key — the most important part
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. key — in music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. game — a match
  20. drill — army training
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. degree — an amount

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