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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. plane — a tool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. chair — a leader
  5. current — of water
  6. race — the arms race
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. saw — the tool
  9. race — humankind
  10. object — to protest
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lie — to recline
  13. object — a thing
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. object — an aim
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. current — happening now
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. current — electric
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mouse — the animal

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