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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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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: bat · wave · degree · cap · safe · bay · shower · plane

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cap — of ice
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. cap — a hat
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. plane — in geometry

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