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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: land · rush · racket · ball · plane · degree · present · shower

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. shower — rain
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — a gift
  6. shower — to wash
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. present — the time now
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. plane — a tool
  12. land — to come down
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — hurry
  15. land — ground
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ball — a dance
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. present — there
  20. degree — from a university
  21. land — a country
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ball — a great time

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