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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. spell — magic
  3. land — a country
  4. prune — to trim
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. date — the fruit
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spell — a short time
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. prune — to trim
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. plane — a tool
  18. land — ground
  19. present — there
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. land — to come down
  23. spell — letters
  24. dip — to dunk

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