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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. race — humankind
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chip — for betting
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. race — a contest
  13. squash — to crush
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bass — low music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. squash — the sport
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. chip — to eat

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