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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 120 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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. rule — a law
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lean — thin
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rule — government
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. lean — to bend
  10. field — for sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. field — a subject
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. field — farmland
  23. kid — child
  24. game — a match

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