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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. last — to go on
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — a short time
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. key — in music
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. track — a path
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — a tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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