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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. staff — employees
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — an illness
  6. staff — employees
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lean — to bend
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mug — a face
  14. game — wild animals
  15. band — a ring
  16. cold — not warm
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. lean — thin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lie — to recline
  22. band — a music group
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. plane — a tool

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