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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. chest — of your body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chest — a box
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. plane — a tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wake — a trail
  16. game — a match
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. current — electric
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. kick — in football
  24. game — wild animals

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