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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. game — wild animals
  3. object — a thing
  4. cold — not warm
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. object — to protest
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. cold — an illness
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. key — in music
  14. squash — to crush
  15. object — an aim
  16. spring — the season
  17. key — for a lock
  18. squash — the sport
  19. current — of water
  20. game — a match
  21. plane — a tool
  22. current — happening now
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. current — electric

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