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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. plane — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rock — a stone
  12. race — a contest
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. race — humankind
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. snap — to click
  18. file — a tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rock — music
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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