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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. race — a contest
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — for digging
  5. last — to go on
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. can — a tin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. can — to be able to
  10. plane — a tool
  11. can — a tin
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. race — humankind
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bound — obliged
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — final
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — tied together
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bound — certain

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