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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. rule — a law
  4. race — humankind
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. spring — the season
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. race — a contest
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. plane — a tool
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rule — government
  15. spring — a coil
  16. current — of water
  17. race — the arms race
  18. scale — in music
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. spring — of water
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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