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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. race — the arms race
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. track — a song
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — tied together
  10. plane — a tool
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. land — ground
  14. track — to keep track
  15. land — to come down
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. race — humankind
  20. track — a path
  21. race — a contest
  22. tear — from crying
  23. deal — to handle
  24. land — a country

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