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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. squash — to crush
  6. game — a match
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rash — hasty
  11. deal — to handle
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rash — a series
  14. squash — the sport
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. game — wild animals
  19. plane — a tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. foot — part of the body

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