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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. object — a thing
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. swing — music
  4. object — to protest
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bear — the animal
  11. swing — to play on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cell — a phone
  15. dip — to sink
  16. plane — a tool
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. object — an aim
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. snap — to click
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bear — to put up with
  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