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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 124 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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. game — wild animals
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. roll — a list
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. tear — from crying
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fine — all right
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fine — high quality
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. game — a match
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. tear — to rip

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