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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. race — humankind
  8. march — music
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. march — the month
  15. race — a contest
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. race — the arms race
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. plane — a tool
  24. march — the month

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