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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spring — the season
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pound — a weight
  7. saw — the tool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. spring — of water
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. game — a match
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. spring — a coil

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