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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a tool
  4. rock — a stone
  5. plane — a tool
  6. hand — help
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. hand — in cards
  9. game — wild animals
  10. content — happy
  11. mug — a cup
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. content — the amount
  17. mug — to rob
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rock — music
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. game — a match
  23. mug — a face
  24. file — a document

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