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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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. deal — to handle
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. swing — music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. drill — a practice
  13. capital — a city
  14. bat — the animal
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. drill — army training
  19. plane — a tool
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. drill — the tool
  22. charge — a price
  23. capital — money
  24. race — the arms race

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