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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chair — a leader
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wound — an injury
  8. snap — to click
  9. plane — a tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rock — a stone
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. lean — thin
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. game — a match
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. key — in music

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