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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cap — of ice
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cap — a lid
  7. spell — a short time
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. spell — letters
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. snap — to click
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spell — magic
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. cap — a hat
  23. last — finally
  24. game — wild animals

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