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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. lean — thin
  5. game — wild animals
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. shower — rain
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. firm — steady
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. field — farmland
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. game — a match
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. firm — decided
  20. shower — to wash
  21. firm — a company
  22. clip — a video
  23. lean — to bend
  24. plane — a tool

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