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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mate — a partner
  10. plane — a tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kick — in football
  13. game — a match
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mate — a friend
  23. scale — in music
  24. mate — to breed

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