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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. race — a contest
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — the amount
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. content — happy
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. file — a tool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. race — humankind
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. plane — a tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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