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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. plane — a tool
  3. game — a match
  4. face — part of the head
  5. hand — in cards
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. can — to be able to
  8. land — ground
  9. game — wild animals
  10. key — in music
  11. can — a tin
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. key — the most important part
  17. land — to come down
  18. hand — help
  19. key — for a lock
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. land — a country
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. can — a tin

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