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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. board — a committee
  4. track — a path
  5. spring — the season
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — final
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. board — to get on
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. last — finally
  14. plane — a tool
  15. track — to keep track
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. track — a song
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. spring — a coil
  24. snap — to click

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