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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. plane — a tool
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rule — government
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. net — for catching
  11. shower — rain
  12. rule — a law
  13. last — to go on
  14. band — a ring
  15. last — final
  16. last — finally
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. race — humankind
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. shower — to wash

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