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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: game · plane · drill · object · wake · dip · date · face

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. plane — a tool
  5. dip — to sink
  6. game — wild animals
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. drill — the tool
  10. object — an aim
  11. face — to confront
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. drill — a practice
  14. date — the fruit
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. object — to protest
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. game — a match
  20. object — a thing
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. drill — army training

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