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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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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. land — to come down
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. plane — a tool
  5. race — a contest
  6. season — in sport
  7. race — the arms race
  8. land — a country
  9. rush — hurry
  10. season — of the year
  11. snap — to click
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. land — ground
  20. fine — high quality
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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