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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. face — to confront
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. key — the most important part
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chip — for betting
  8. key — for a lock
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. game — a match
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pound — a weight
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. face — to point toward
  15. plane — a tool
  16. foot — a measure
  17. game — wild animals
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. key — in music

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