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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rush — hurry
  3. game — wild animals
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kid — to tease
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stand — to bear
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bass — low music
  19. game — a match
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bass — the fish
  24. plane — a tool

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