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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 116 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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Word bank
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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. plane — a tool
  3. snap — to click
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rash — a series
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. staff — employees
  9. scale — in music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fall — to drop
  14. game — a match
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rash — hasty
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chair — a leader
  19. scale — size or range
  20. staff — a stick
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fall — the season
  23. staff — employees
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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