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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. tube — the underground
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bore — to tire
  14. squash — to crush
  15. scale — in music
  16. tube — a container
  17. current — electric
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bore — to drill

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