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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. plane — a tool
  3. chest — a box
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lean — thin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — a match
  12. chest — of your body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fine — all right
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. fine — high quality
  20. key — in music
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bear — the animal

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