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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 116 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: hide · rash · clip · fork · safe · stock · plane · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. degree — an amount
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. degree — from a university
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rash — hasty
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stock — shares
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. clip — for paper
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rash — a series
  22. fork — in a road
  23. stock — goods
  24. clip — a video

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