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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.

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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: degree · drill · object · plane · clip · pass · bay · dip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. drill — army training
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. degree — from a university
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — the tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. dip — to sink
  14. object — to protest
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. degree — an amount
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. clip — a video
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. plane — a tool
  24. object — a thing

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