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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. kid — to tease
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. drill — army training
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. drill — the tool
  13. face — to confront
  14. wake — a trail
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. drill — a practice
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. face — to point toward
  21. plane — a tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. face — part of the head

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