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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.

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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bulb — for light
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pop — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. scale — in music
  23. pop — soda
  24. can — a tin

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