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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cap — a hat
  3. game — wild animals
  4. hand — help
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bore — to tire
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cap — a lid
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mate — a partner
  16. game — a match
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stand — to bear

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