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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: ground · game · land · plane · deal · coach · rush · fall

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. land — a country
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — ground
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. ground — a position
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — to come down
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fall — to drop
  20. game — a match
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fall — to drop
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fall — the season

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