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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rule — government
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fall — the season
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tube — the underground
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. rule — a law
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. tube — a container
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tube — in a tire
  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