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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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Word bank
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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. file — a document
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. race — a contest
  6. wind — moving air
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — to breed
  13. chip — for betting
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. race — the arms race
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. race — humankind
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. chip — to eat
  23. ball — a great time
  24. plane — in geometry

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