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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. race — the arms race
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kick — in football
  7. race — humankind
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bat — the animal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. race — a contest
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kick — with a leg

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