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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. race — a contest
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. wound — an injury
  8. last — to go on
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. chip — to eat
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. race — humankind
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spring — the season
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. spring — of water
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. snap — to click
  20. wound — an injury
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. plane — in geometry
  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