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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. key — for a lock
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mate — a friend
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lean — thin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bass — low music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. key — in music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. key — the most important part
  22. game — a match
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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