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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.

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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. plane — a tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. staff — a stick
  12. lean — to bend
  13. game — a match
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. hand — in cards
  17. staff — employees
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. game — wild animals
  20. hand — help
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. plane — an aircraft

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