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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. track — a path
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. content — the amount
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. track — to keep track
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. content — happy
  13. race — the arms race
  14. spring — of water
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. race — a contest
  17. pass — a permit
  18. plane — a tool
  19. track — a song
  20. spring — the season
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. race — humankind

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