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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cap — a hat
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — a country
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — hurry
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. suit — in cards
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — clothes
  17. land — to come down
  18. cap — a lid
  19. hand — in cards
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. hand — help
  24. land — ground

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