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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. race — the arms race
  7. firm — steady
  8. race — humankind
  9. wound — an injury
  10. race — a contest
  11. file — a document
  12. firm — a company
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — a list
  15. capital — money
  16. file — a tool
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. capital — a city
  22. file — a line of people
  23. plane — a tool
  24. firm — decided

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