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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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Word bank
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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kid — to tease
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kid — child
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. charge — electricity
  12. race — a contest
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. charge — in control
  15. game — a match
  16. charge — a price
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. race — the arms race
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. race — humankind
  21. plane — a tool
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a committee
  24. nail — for a hammer

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