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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fall — to drop
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. last — final
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. plane — a tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stock — goods
  14. fall — the season
  15. hand — help
  16. stock — shares
  17. last — to go on
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. last — finally
  22. game — a match
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — to drop

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