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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. club — for golf
  5. plane — a tool
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lean — to bend
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — a match
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fall — the season
  17. club — a group
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fall — to drop
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. game — wild animals
  24. plane — in geometry

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