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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. root — the cause
  3. game — wild animals
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. net — after costs
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. key — in music
  9. bass — low music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — for catching
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. game — a match
  18. key — the most important part
  19. root — of a word
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wave — of the sea

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