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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chip — for betting
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chip — to eat
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rest — a break
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rest — what's left
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. field — a subject
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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