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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. row — a line
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. game — a match
  8. foot — a measure
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. scale — in music
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. board — a committee
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. plane — a tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. board — to get on
  24. toast — bread

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