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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — a match
  3. current — happening now
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pound — a weight
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. game — wild animals
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tear — from crying
  17. current — electric
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. current — of water
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. swing — in golf
  24. tear — to rip

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