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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. swing — in golf
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. race — a contest
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. plane — a tool
  10. game — wild animals
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cap — of ice
  16. swing — to play on
  17. game — a match
  18. swing — music
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. track — a path
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cap — a hat

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