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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. game — a match
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rule — government
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. root — of a word
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. game — wild animals
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. rule — a law
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. root — of a plant
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. root — the cause

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