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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. race — a contest
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. land — ground
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. last — to go on
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. race — humankind
  16. cap — a hat
  17. land — a country
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cap — of ice
  20. last — finally
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. kick — in football
  24. race — the arms race

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