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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. ground — the earth
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. ground — a position
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. shower — rain
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. stem — to come from
  11. rest — a break
  12. saw — the tool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. kick — in football
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. plane — a tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ground — crushed
  23. game — a match
  24. kick — a thrill

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