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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. race — the arms race
  4. land — a country
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chip — for betting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. race — a contest
  10. saw — the tool
  11. race — humankind
  12. game — a match
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. chest — of your body
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. chest — a box
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. chest — of your body

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