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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lean — to bend
  5. game — a match
  6. ground — the earth
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ground — a position
  10. spell — magic
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wake — a trail
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. lean — thin
  18. toast — bread
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. plane — a tool

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