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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — the earth
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. press — to push
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. ground — a position
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bat — the animal
  20. plane — a tool
  21. press — a publisher
  22. face — part of the head
  23. foot — a measure
  24. face — to confront

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