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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · game · fine · rest · plane · chair · rock · wind

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rock — music
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. key — the most important part
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fine — all right
  9. rock — a stone
  10. key — in music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. rest — what's left
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — a break
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — a tool
  23. game — a match
  24. fine — high quality

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