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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. mate — to breed
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ball — a great time
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. track — a path
  12. spell — a short time
  13. land — to come down
  14. race — the arms race
  15. land — ground
  16. race — a contest
  17. track — a song
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ball — a dance
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mate — a partner
  22. land — a country
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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