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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. race — a contest
  8. present — the time now
  9. spring — the season
  10. present — there
  11. spring — of water
  12. race — humankind
  13. rule — government
  14. present — a gift
  15. last — to go on
  16. rule — a law
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. plane — a tool
  20. last — final
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. race — the arms race
  23. last — finally
  24. mouse — for a computer

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