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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. present — there
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hand — help
  5. race — the arms race
  6. can — a tin
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. can — a tin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. cell — in biology
  11. race — a contest
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — a gift
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. clip — a video
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. race — humankind
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cell — a phone
  22. can — to be able to
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. present — the time now

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