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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rest — a break
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bore — to drill
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. swing — music
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. game — a match
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rest — what's left

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