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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. swing — music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fall — to drop
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cue — for pool
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — to play on
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fall — the season
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — a hint
  19. plane — a tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. plane — in geometry

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