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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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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. key — in music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. land — ground
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wound — an injury
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. board — to get on
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wound — an injury
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. land — to come down
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. key — the most important part
  21. land — a country
  22. key — for a lock
  23. board — a committee
  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