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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. row — a line
  9. wound — an injury
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fine — high quality
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. shower — rain
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — a match
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fine — all right
  24. lean — to bend

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