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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. face — to confront
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. squash — to crush
  5. race — a contest
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. face — to point toward
  10. row — a line
  11. squash — the sport
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cue — a signal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. plane — a tool
  20. face — part of the head
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. foot — a measure
  24. row — to paddle

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