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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 120 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cold — an illness
  5. track — a path
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mug — to rob
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. race — the arms race
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. track — a song
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. plane — a tool
  17. race — humankind
  18. can — a tin
  19. swing — to play on
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mug — a face
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. swing — music

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