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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. chip — to eat
  3. hand — help
  4. stand — to bear
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fall — the season
  8. rush — hurry
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — a contest
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hand — in cards
  22. race — humankind
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chip — in a computer

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