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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — a country
  5. land — to come down
  6. spring — the season
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. spell — magic
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. race — the arms race
  19. land — ground
  20. spell — letters
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. saw — the tool
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spring — a coil

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