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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. capital — a city
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. plane — a tool
  13. scale — in music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a match
  18. fall — the season
  19. capital — money
  20. pass — a permit
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. calf — of the leg

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