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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. spell — a short time
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. spell — magic
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kid — child
  9. plane — a tool
  10. lean — to bend
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rest — what's left
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rest — what's left
  18. game — wild animals
  19. rest — a break
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. spell — letters
  24. game — a match

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