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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. game — wild animals
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. field — farmland
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rule — government
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. field — for sport
  16. game — a match
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wake — a trail
  19. field — a subject
  20. rule — a law
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. plane — a tool
  24. sharp — clever

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