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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. game — a match
  3. object — a thing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. object — to protest
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. current — of water
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. game — wild animals
  14. shower — to wash
  15. land — a country
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — a tool
  18. current — electric
  19. shower — rain
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. current — happening now
  24. object — an aim

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