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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — a committee
  8. degree — an amount
  9. object — an aim
  10. race — a contest
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. object — to protest
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. object — a thing
  20. board — to get on
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. race — humankind

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