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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. staff — employees
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. field — for sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. field — a subject
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. cold — not warm
  17. field — farmland
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. staff — employees
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cold — an illness
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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