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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. scale — in music
  4. net — after costs
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. chip — to eat
  9. net — for catching
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. net — in sport
  16. game — a match
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting

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