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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 120 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
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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 · sharp · deal · degree · object · bat · tube · ball

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. degree — from a university
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. deal — to handle
  7. ball — a great time
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. plane — a tool
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. tube — a container
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. ball — a dance
  18. degree — an amount
  19. object — to protest
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bat — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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