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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. pop — soda
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pop — music
  5. hand — in cards
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. clip — a video
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mug — a face
  12. race — humankind
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mug — to rob
  16. race — a contest
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. clip — to cut
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a leader
  24. clip — for paper

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