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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pit — in a race
  3. firm — decided
  4. hand — in cards
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — help
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — humankind
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. race — a contest
  16. plane — a tool
  17. spell — a short time
  18. firm — a company
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pit — a hole
  21. firm — steady
  22. spell — magic
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bat — 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