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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — finally
  6. game — a match
  7. cue — a hint
  8. root — the cause
  9. shower — rain
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. root — of a word
  16. cue — a signal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. game — wild animals
  20. last — to go on
  21. cue — for pool
  22. last — final
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. calf — a young animal

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