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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — army training
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. pass — a permit
  6. race — humankind
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. plane — a tool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. file — a document
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. file — a line of people
  18. race — a contest
  19. shower — rain
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. drill — a practice
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. file — a tool

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