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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. can — a tin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. scale — in music
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. can — a tin
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. game — a match
  17. can — to be able to
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. key — the most important part
  24. plane — in geometry

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