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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rash — a series
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rest — a break
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lean — thin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rash — hasty
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. net — for catching
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stand — to bear
  18. lean — to bend
  19. hand — in cards
  20. net — after costs
  21. net — in sport
  22. game — a match
  23. hand — help
  24. plane — a tool

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