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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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. plane — in geometry
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. drill — army training
  6. object — a thing
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. object — to protest
  9. plane — a tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — to cut
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chip — for betting
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. object — an aim
  23. clip — a video
  24. game — a match

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