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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. key — in music
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — for a lock
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. kid — child
  13. rush — hurry
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. content — the amount
  17. kid — to tease
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — the most important part
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wind — moving air
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. content — happy

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